Władysław Żeleński; Juliusz Zarębski - Piano Quartet; Piano Quintet (Jonathan Plowright; Szymanowski Quartet)

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Composer: Władysław Żeleński; Juliusz Zarębski

1. Żeleński - Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 61: I. Allegro con brio
2. Żeleński - Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 61: II. Romanza: Andante sostenuto
3. Żeleński - Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 61: III. Intermezzo: Allegretto
4. Żeleński - Piano Quartet in C minor, Op. 61: IV. Finale: Allegro appassionato
5. Zarębski - Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 34: I. Allegro
6. Zarębski - Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 34: II. Adagio
7. Zarębski - Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 34: III. Scherzo: Presto
8. Zarębski - Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 34: IV. Finale: Presto

Jonathan Plowright, piano
Szymanowski Quartet
Andrej Bielow, violin
Grzegorz Kotów, violin
Vladimir Mykytka, viola
Marcin Sieniawski, cello

Date: 2012
Label: Hyperion
https://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA67905

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Review

Poland’s hopes of widening international awareness of its country’s 19th-century music have long been high on the agenda but, with Chopin tending to overshadow all of his Polish contemporaries as well as his forebears and most of his immediate successors, the task has been an uphill one. All of a sudden, however, the path of persuasion has levelled out somewhat with the appearance of two recordings of the G minor Piano Quintet by Juliusz Zarebski (1854-85), a virtuoso pianist and a favourite pupil of Liszt’s.

In their performances of the Zare˛bski and of the C minor Piano Quintet by his slightly older and much longer-lived contemporary Władysław Z˙elen´ski (1837-1921), Jonathan Plowright and the Szymanowski Quartet tackle the scores from the thoroughly justified stance that the music is as far removed from Chopin’s milieu as could be imagined. Zare˛bski toured widely as a concert pianist and had been a student at the Vienna Conservatory; in 1880 he took up a post as professor of piano at the Conservatoire in Brussels, which he occupied until his death from tuberculosis at the age of 31. These connections with cultures beyond the Polish borders manifest themselves in the quintet. The pianism has Liszt’s muscle and his kaleidoscope of keyboard colour; the models for the structure and the integration of piano and strings stem from the Teutonic tradition. The intensity of lyricism coupled with the rhythmic sinew that Zare˛bski is able to flex suggest that he knew his Brahms; but often the piquancy of an idea also suggests some sort of folk inflection in its spice, revealing a composer who not only had a secure instinct for chamber music but who also possessed individuality.

Hyperion’s useful coupling of the Zarebski with Zelenski’s quartet makes the disc specially welcome and the playing is first-rate.

-- Geoffrey Norris, Gramophone

More reviews:
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2012/Dec12/Zelenski_Zarebski_CDA67905.htm
http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2013/Feb13/Zelenski_Zarebski_CDA67905.htm
https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/jan/02/zelenski-piano-quartet-zarebski-quintet-review
https://www.limelightmagazine.com.au/reviews/zelenski-%C2%B7-zarebski-piano-quintet-piano-quartet/
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/album-reviews/zelenski-piano-quartet-zarebski-pianoquintet-1.954173
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zarebski-Piano-Quintet-Zelenski-Quartet/dp/B009LRJ7WK

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Władysław Żeleński (6 July 1837 – 23 January 1921) was a Polish composer, pianist and organist. Żeleński was born in Grodkowice. He was a representative of neoromanticism in Polish music. Since early days Żeleński showed interest in chamber music. While in secondary school, he wrote two quartets and a trio that, however, have not survived to our times. Later chamber pieces: Sextet in C major, Op. 9 and Wariacje na temat własny (Variations on an Original Theme) for string quartet, Op. 29 Żeleński composed while studying first in Prague and later in Paris. He died in Kraków.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W%C5%82adys%C5%82aw_%C5%BBele%C5%84ski_(composer)

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Juliusz Zarębski (3 March 1854 – 15 September 1885) was a Polish composer and pianist. He studied composition with Franz Krenn and piano with Josef Dachs in Vienna. He also studied piano with Franz Liszt in Rome for some time. Liszt greatly helped Zarębski, appearing with him in concerts and using his contacts to publicize the works of the Polish composer. In turn, Zarębski's compositions evoke those of Liszt and Chopin. Zarębski's career as a virtuoso pianist was a great success. He established himself in Brussels, where he served as teacher of piano master classes at the Royal Conservatory.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juliusz_Zar%C4%99bski

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Jonathan Plowright (born 1959 in Yorkshire) is a British concert pianist. He studied with Alexander Kelly at the Royal Academy of Music in London, and with Julio Esteban at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. His USA debut was at Carnegie Hall in 1984, followed by his UK debut in 1985, at Wigmore Hall. Plowright performed worldwide as recitalist, appeared with leading orchestras and ensembles, made many commercial recordings and appeared on radio and TV broadcasts. He championed neglected music from Polish Romantic composers, Stojowski, Paderewski and Melcer, which he has recorded for Hyperion Records.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jonathan_Plowright

http://www.jonathanplowright.com/

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