Pianist
Krystian Zimerman has already done great service on recordings to composers from his native Poland, and he continues to do so with this fine selection of piano works by
Karol Szymanowski.
Szymanowski is best known, at least outside Poland, for works in larger forms, and
Zimerman, moreover, does not include his three piano sonatas, which are probably his most familiar keyboard works. Thus most of the music here will be new to listeners, and they will experience it as a major find.
Zimerman builds on a 1994 recording of the
Masques, Op. 34, a truly remarkable transference of 19th century program music ideas into a more modern context. This is a bit jarring sonically, but one can understand why the pianist wanted to keep this razor-sharp performance. The work is surrounded by pieces from various phases of
Szymanowski's career, beginning with excerpts from his
Nine Preludes, Op. 1. These are in the
Chopin mold but have a harmonic and structural exuberance that points to the work of the mature composer. The
20 Mazurkas, Op. 50, four of which are included here, approach
Bartok in their ways of tying a modern concision to folk roots. The final
Variations on a Folk Theme, Op. 10, reveal
Szymanowski's talents as a pianist, and they are compelling in
Zimerman's hands.
Szymanowski's music appears to be undergoing a major revival, and this fine release is sure to help it along. ~ James Manheim
