Composer: Frédéric François Chopin, Roman Maciejewski, Karol Szymanowski
Performer: Peter Jablonski
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Altara
Catalogue: ALT1030
Release: 2008
Size: 165 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Chopin: Mazurka, No. 6
01. No. 1
02. No. 2
03. No. 3
04. No. 4
Chopin: Mazurka, Op. 24
05. No. 1
06. No. 2
07. No. 3
08. No. 4
Chopin: Mazurka, Op. 50
09. No. 1
10. No. 2
11. No. 3
Chopin: Mazurka, Op. 68
12. No. 1
13 .No. 2
14. No. 3
15. No. 4
Szymanowski: Mazurka, Op. 50
16. No. 1
17. No. 2
18. No. 3
19. No. 4
Szymanowski: Mazurkas, Op. 62
20. No. 1
21. No. 2
22. Maciejewski: Mazurka No. 9 ‘Echo from Tatra Mountains’
23. Maciejewski: Mazurka No. 10
24. Maciejewski: Mazurka No. 6
Pianist Peter Jablonski plays Mazurkas by three generations of Polish composers. From the well known masterpieces of Chopin to the equally masterful works by Szymanowski and the delightful, and largely unknown, pieces by Maciejewski who was a great favourite of Artur Rubinstein.
The mazurka is one of many uniquely Polish musical forms resurrected and championed by Frédéric Chopin. He revisited the form throughout his short but prolific life. The mazurka has its origins as an early peasant dance, though Chopin treated it with far more elegance and refinement than its early predecessors could have likely imagined. Chopin’s extensive output influenced future generations of Polish composers and inspired them to continue to sustain the mazurka’s importance in Polish music. This album features 15 (only a fraction) of Chopin’s contributions, as well as six mazurkas of Karol Szymanowski (who was heavily influenced by Chopin) and three mazurkas of Roman Maciejewski (who was, in turn, heavily influenced by Szymanowski). Performing on this Altara Classic album is pianist Peter Jablonski, himself of Polish descent. For fans of the Chopin interpretations of Pollini or Rubinstein, Joblonski’s playing may come across as somewhat overdone. He works hard to draw attention to the rhythmic asymmetries of the mazurka, but comes dangerously close to beating listeners over the head. Every measure is made into an event, sometimes at the expense of a continuous musical line. Still, his technique is quite refined and he plays with a great deal of elegance and attention to detail in the score. The lesser known works of Szymanowski and Maciejewski are performed with exceptional clarity.