Zygmunt Stojowski - Piano Concerto No. 1 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 3 (Szlezer, Wroniszewski)

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Zygmunt Stojowski - Koncert fortepianowy fis-moll

Pianist: Marek Szlezer
Conductor: Marek Wroniszewski
Orchestra: Sinfonia Iuventus

0:00 - Andante poco mosso
14:42 - Romanza. Andante sostenuto e molto cantabile
23:32 - Allegro con fuoco

Biography
Zygmunt Stojowski (1870 - 1946) was a Polish composer born in Strzelce (which is near Kielce), who would be best known for his friendship with Ignacy Jan Paderewski and his promotion of the Polish cause abroad. His parents were incredibly talented people. His mother was well connected in the arts and in the aristocracy, so she served to be Stojowski's first piano teacher.

Stojowski would run through a gauntlet of incredible teachers beginning with Henryk Bobiński and Stanisław Dybowski among others in his youth. The Stojowski family moved to Kraków where took private lessons with Władysław Żeleński. His mother ran a music salon there, which is where he first met Ignacy Paderewski and Anton Rubinstein. After graduating in 1887, he moved to Paris to continue his musical education. There, he studied piano with Louis Diémer, composition with Léo Delibes, and harmony with Théodore Dubois. He consulted with Saint-Saëns and Jules Massenet, and he befriended Tchaikovsky and Brahms while in Paris. In 1891, he became a student of Ignacy Jan Paderewski.

After graduating from the Paris Conservatory, he toured and gave concerts in England, France, Belgium, Germany, and Poland. He won a prize for his Symphony in D-Minor in Leipzig, and continued with much success. Despite this, he decided to move to New York and stayed there until his death. He taught at the Institute of Musical Art (a precursor to the Juilliard School of Music) and then the Von Ende School of Music all while giving private lessons. He won a reputation as an effective musical teacher. While he was abroad, he never ceased supporting the Polish cause. He founded the Polish Institute of Arts and Letters and worked for the Kosciuszko Foundation while also writing articles.

In addition to music, he also studied philosophy and languages. He was fluent in English, German, Russian, French, Latin, and Ancient Greek in addition to his native Polish.

All of this is to say that Stojowski had a cosmopolitan education with influences pouring in from across Europe. In the face of such a deluge of influence, he never forgot his homeland. His friendship with Ignacy Jan Paderewski and his dedication to promoting Polish culture ensured that he would remain close to his roots stylistically while integrating fresh ideas from other schools of music.

The Piano Concerto
This concerto was composed in 1890 and premiered in Paris in 1891. If we trace back Stojowski's education, this concerto sounds nothing like Żeleński. Instead, it takes the cosmopolitan approach of Tchaikovsky and Paderewski with many echoes of Chopin. Overall, it feels somewhere between Chopin's concerti and Rachmaninoff's 1st piano concerto.

Andante poco mosso - The introductory movement is absolutely vast. There are moments of subtilty that are reminiscent of Chopin and there are explosions of virtuosity and drama that bring Rachmaninoff and Tchaikovsky to mind. The first several bars set the stage for a dark, desolate movement, but the piano introduces itself and instantly pulls the concerto back to Chopin. This tension is what characterizes the 1st mvt. as the virtuosic transitions thunder between the sensitive, lyrical sections. What is important to note is that the lyrical sections do not always harken back to Chopin and the virtuoso sections do not always employ a cosmopolitan approach. For example, see how Rachmanovian the lyrical passage at 11:53 is and how Chopinesque the virtuosity is at 5:45. The final passage breaks through the subtilty and aggressively announces the triumph of the bold over the subtle.

Romanza. Andante sostenuto e molto cantabile - The slow movement of the piece maintains the tension of the earlier movement. There is both Chopinesque and Rachmaninovian lyricism (compare 17:01 and 16:06). What is extremely interesting is that there is some repeated material that Stojowski snuck in from the 1st mvt. Compare the rhythm at 16:30 with the timpani at the beginning of the 1st mvt and it's subsequent restatements. The passage that begins at 20:37 is the most lyrical and heartfelt moment in the whole piece and contrasts the 1st mvt.'s bombastic ending.

Allegro con fuoco - The stormy final movement showcases some of the best virtuosity the concerto has to offer. The melodies are dramatic and the texturing is forceful. Despite this, there are still plenty of lyrical passages to keep the finale from outrunning itself.

Info sources:
https://culture.pl/pl/tworca/zygmunt-...
http://www.musicweb-international.com...
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zygmunt...

Imslp: https://imslp.org/wiki/Category:Stojo...