Bartók, Janácek, Szymanowski

by Piotr Anderszewski

Overview

After well-received albums devoted to Bach and Schumann, pianist Piotr Anderszewski turns to music of his native Eastern Europe on this 2024 release, which made classical best-seller charts early that year. Anderszewski is known for his artfully curated and constructed programs, but this one is not so cohesive; the excerpts from Janá¿ek's On an Overgrown Path set were recorded in 2016, while the short pieces by Szymanowski and Bartók were added in 2023. The Janá¿ek works, though short, are of a slightly different kind from the other pieces, which are real miniatures. When Anderszewski gets to those, however, he hits his stride. Especially interesting are Bartók's 14 Bagatelles, Op. 6, presented in full. These aren't heard overly often. Anderszewski says that "the works recorded on this album carry within them a spirit of rebellion," which doesn't quite fit these short pieces, but then on his second try, he comes much closer: "No room here for stylization or decorum; they draw upon the very roots of music." Early works composed in 1908, they contain ideas that Bartók would explore over his entire career. They have folkish accents but also intensive exploration of mode and rhythm. Anderszewski's careful style is ideal here, and the listener hearing the whole set will become increasingly engrossed. Hardly less appealing are the six pieces from Szymanowski's 20 Mazurkas, Op. 50, which explore the folk dance model in a less radical but no less detailed way. For the lover of Eastern European music of the early 20th century, which is finally and rightfully finding a consistent place on concert programs, this is a recording that will merit multiple hearings. ~ James Manheim

Product Details

Release Date:	06/21/2024
Label:	Warner Classics
UPC:	5054197891274
Rank:	233840

Tracks

1. Po zarostlém chodí¿ku (On an overgrown path) JW 8/17 Book II~Andante
2. Po zarostlém chodí¿ku (On an overgrown path) JW 8/17 Book II~Allegretto
3. Po zarostlém chodí¿ku (On an overgrown path) JW 8/17 Book II~Vivo
4. Po zarostlém chodí¿ku (On an overgrown path) JW 8/17 Book II~Più mosso
5. Po zarostlém chodí¿ku (On an overgrown path) JW 8/17 Book II~Allegro
6. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 3. Moderato
7. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 7. Poco vivace - Tempo oberka
8. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 8. Moderato (non troppo)
9. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 10. Allegramente - Vivace - Con brio
10. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 5. Moderato
11. 20 Mazurkas Op. 50 M.56~No. 4. Allegramente, risoluto
12. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Molto sostenuto
13. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Allegro giocoso
14. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Andante
15. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Grave
16. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Vivo
17. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Lento
18. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Allegretto molto capriccioso
19. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Andante sostenuto
20. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Allegretto grazioso
21. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Allegro
22. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Allegretto molto rubato
23. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Rubato
24. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~Elle est morte: Lento funebre
25. 14 Bagatelles Op. 6 Sz.38~XIV. Valse: Ma mie qui danse - Presto

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Piotr Anderszewski   Primary Artist,Piano

Technical Credits

Piotr Anderszewski   Liner Notes
Paul Giroux   Mastering,Mixing,Editing
Bela Bartok   Composer
Karol Szymanowski   Composer
Sanna Hanssen   Liner Note Translation
Julita Emanuilow   Editing
Alain Lanceron   Executive Producer
Friedemann Engelbrecht   Engineer
Leos Janacek   Composer
Andrzej Sasin   Engineer
Simon Fowler   Photography
Ray Granlund   Liner Note Translation