A. Tansman - Mazurkas, Book I (Diane Andersen, piano)

Alexandre Tansman (1897-1986)
Mazurkas (Book I)
Composed between 1918 and 1928

Performed by Diane Andersen

With the most gracious permission of Diane Andersen, who was quite enthusiastic about this project.

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« What is valid in every progress of a process, let it be scientific, philosophical, artistic, social or other, it is not the novelty itself in its essence, but what will be left after the application of this novelty will have been eliminated. » Those words that Albert Einstein pronounced during one of the conversations they had together, Alexandre Tansman adopted as his own. In his opinion, this sentence illustrated concisely how he imagined composition. He also said: « I don’t want to be a modern musician, I want to be a musician of my time; that’s to say try to pursue the fundamental and unchangeable aim of music by the means of one’s time. »

The performer writes: ''The 4 Mazurkas collections, spread out over several periods of the composer's life, are among the most important works in Alexandre Tansman's production. They reflect his deep ego. Here we enter the area of the confidence only reserved to a few very close friends. Here we find all the expressions of his personality: melancholy, humour, elegance and tenderness, fear and despair. Those 36 short pieces are all little masterpieces, and also an unconcealed homage to Chopin, about whom Tansman liked to say: ''He is the greatest artist Poland has ever given to the world.'' The Mazurka is present in the composer's whole work. This form symbolized his attachment to his native soil and radiates in its writing the Polish folklore. Let us also mention the use of Tansman's chord or ''skyscraper chord'', developed with his own concept of harmony.''

''Tansman was an excellent pianist and it was a delight to be his partner in his works for two pianos. One then realized the expressive simplicity required by the composer, despite a very sophisticated and not necessarily pianistic writing. The phrasing had to be respected above all, even if the writing didn't easily lend itself to it. He was also very concerned with the graphic expression of rhythm.’’

‘’Alexandre Tansman followed from the beginning a personal way out of any system. His original and complex sound world could be characterized by: order, clarity, balance and beauty. One might hope that our times, eager for knowledge, will reconsider this generation of composers apparently kept at a distance without any reason and reveal all its darings and treasures to make us happy.’’

And we could not agree more.

Diane Andersen. Liner notes for MAZURKAS, by Alexandre Tansman. Diane Andersen, Classic Talent DOM 2910 39, 1997, compact disc.