Karol Szymanowski: Piano Works

Best of all are the Masques, recorded in Copenhagen in 1994…Indeed, the middle-period Masques also leap out with more imagination than anything else here, the pianist’s command of colour magnificent... — BBC Music Magazine, January 2023, 4 out of 5 stars More…

Release Date: 21st Oct 2022
Catalogue No: 4863008
Label: Deutsche Grammophon

Presto Recording of the Week

30th September 2022
Gramophone Magazine

November 2022

Editor's Choice
International Classical Music Awards

2023

Nominated - Solo Instrument
Presto Recordings of the Year

Winner 2022
The Guardian Classical Albums of the Year

2022
Gramophone Awards

2023

Finalist - Piano
Gramophone Awards

2023

Winner - Piano
BBC Music Magazine Awards

2024

Shortlisted - Instrumental

Szymanowski: Prelude, Op. 1 No. 1 in B minor

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Prelude, Op. 1 No. 2 in F major

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Prelude, Op. 1 No. 7 in C minor

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Prelude, Op. 1 No. 8 in E flat minor

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Masques (3), Op. 34

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Mazurka, Op. 50 No. 13

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Mazurka, Op. 50 No. 14

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Mazurka, Op. 50 No. 15

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Mazurka, Op. 50 No. 16

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

Szymanowski: Variations on a Polish Theme Op. 10

Krystian Zimerman (piano)

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Polish pianist Krystian Zimerman returns to his roots to pay tribute to his compatriot Karol Szymanowski on the 140th anniversary of the composer’s birth. Having studied his solo piano works for decades, Zimerman presents a new album of richly varied repertoire spanning the period from 1899 to the mid−1920s. His aim is to shed new light on this less familiar aspect of Szymanowski’s output and help cement his reputation as one of the great composers of piano music.

There is also a strong thread of friendship running through this album, linking both Szymanowski and Zimerman to legendary pianist Arthur Rubinstein, and Zimerman to the world-renowned acoustician Yasuhisa Toyota. Coupling repertoire captured this year at the Toyota-designed concert hall in Fukuyama with previously unreleased recordings made by Zimerman in 1994, Karol Szymanowski: Piano Works will be released by Deutsche Grammophon on 30 September 2022 on CD and digitally, including an immersive surround sound version. A 2-LP edition will follow on 21 October.

Zimerman bookends his programme with music written in Szymanowski’s student days, beginning with four of the nine Preludes Op. 1, some of which may date back as far as 1896, when the composer was only 14. Masques Op. 34, written on the composer’s family estate in Ukraine during the First World War, reflects both Szymanowski’s immersion in the writing of Debussy, Scriabin and Stravinsky and his pre-war travels in North Africa and the Mediterranean region. A work from the height of his artistic maturity, it portrays three literary figures: Scheherazade, “Tantris” or Tristan and Don Juan.

This is followed by four of his twenty Mazurkas Op. 50 (1926–31), the only set to compare in substance with those of Chopin. Brimming with complex rhythmic writing, chromatic harmonies and rich textures, and setting considerable technical challenges for the performer, the pieces were largely inspired by the folk songs and dances of the Tatra Mountains. Zimerman then concludes with the exquisite Variations on a Polish Folk Theme Op.10, a work which won the composer shortlived acclaim from Polish critics after its first performance in 1906.

Szymanowski dedicated the “Don Juan” movement of Masques to his friend Arthur Rubinstein, a lifelong advocate of the composer’s music. Many years later, Rubinstein became a friend and mentor to the young Krystian Zimerman, offering him advice he still values hugely today. Zimerman recorded Masques in Copenhagen in 1994 but the tracks were never released. With Szymanowski’s anniversary in mind, on receiving an invitation from another good friend, Dr Yasuhisa Toyota, he leapt at the opportunity to record more of the composer’s solo works in the Fukuyama concert hall – one of many around the world to have benefited from the acoustician’s design wizardry. “In Toyota’s halls, every note is clear,” notes Zimerman, “yet each is in a cushion of warm surroundings.” His completed journey through this repertoire offers listeners a fascinating insight into Szymanowski’s sound world, from the glitter and opulence of Masques to the earthy folk idioms of the Mazurkas.

Reviews

January 2023

Best of all are the Masques, recorded in Copenhagen in 1994…Indeed, the middle-period Masques also leap out with more imagination than anything else here, the pianist’s command of colour magnificent and mesmerising.

November 2022

Zimerman has all the quick-wittedness and nimbleness called for, not to mention power and agility.

30th September 2022

This excellent engineering allows all of Zimerman's qualities to come across beautifully, not least his robust but never harsh touch in the lower registers..Often utilising extreme amounts of rubato in the way he shapes the music's phrases, Zimerman's interpretations of this repertoire are frequently highly idiosyncratic and yet always thoughtful, intelligent, and full of the staggering technical and expressive mastery for which he is hugely renowned.

11th December 2022

Here is pianism from the inimitable Krystian Zimerman that reaches exceptional heights of virtuosity, control and colour.

13th October 2022

Every new release from Krystian Zimerman is a special event, but this one is more so than most...his command of virtuoso brilliance is just as extraordinary as his control of the most subtle nuances of phrasing and pacing. This is a marvellous disc from an utterly exceptional artist.

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Karol Szymanowski: Piano Works

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Karol Szymanowski: Piano Works

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