Stefan Kisielewski has gone down in history not only as an outstanding composer and music critic, but also as a defiant publicist with a sharp tongue, an uncompromising journalist and politician, and a keen observer of socialist reality often described as the “Stańczyk of the Polish People’s Republic.” His neoclassical compositions reflect his views on music understood as pure form. Rejecting the Romantic idiom, he focused on refining structural clarity and the quality of sound, combining traditional forms with a modern musical language. A great example of this approach is his Concerto for Chamber Orchestra, lost in the rubble of the Warsaw Uprising and reconstructed by the composer in 1949. It is hard to disagree with Bogusław Schaeffer, who saw in this work “brilliant wit, musical humour, and an almost Rossinian lightness.” No less finesse can be found in the Little Overture for chamber orchestra (1953). The opening theme – introduced by the piccolo – returns in surprising ways and in ever-new contexts, forming just one of the grotesque elements of this compact yet irresistibly engaging work.
A counterpoint to Kisiel’s twentieth-century compositions will be provided by two works by outstanding representatives of earlier eras. In his Bassoon Concerto of 1811, Carl Maria von Weber makes excellent use of the solo instrument’s diverse expressive and technical possibilities. The first movement, full of verve and dramatic tension, and the second-placed Adagio, captivating in its lyricism, reveal the composer’s fondness for opera. The final Rondo, in turn, dazzles with its virtuosity and the richness of its varied musical solutions. The concert programme concludes with Symphony No. 88 by Joseph Haydn, written in 1787 for Prince Miklós Esterházy, renowned for his love of beauty and the arts. Written in the classical four-movement form, the work stands as one of the finest examples of the grace and elegance of the Classical style.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Stefan Kisielewski (1911–1991) – Concerto for Chamber Orchestra
Allegro vivo
Andante sostenuto
Allegro vivace con grazia
Carl Maria von Weber (1786–1826) – Bassoon Concerto in F major, Op. 75
Allegro ma non troppo
Adagio
Rondo: Allegro
Stefan Kisielewski – Little Ouverture
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809) – Symphony No. 88 in G major, Hob. I:88
Adagio – Allegro
Largo
Menuetto: Allegretto
Finale: Allegro con spirito
PERFORMERS
MARCIN ORLIŃSKI BASSOON
THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
MACIEJ TOMASIEWICZ CONDUCTOR
Duration: approx. 1h 15 mins (no intermission)
