Composer: Ignacy Jan Paderewski
Performer: Alina Adamski, Agata Schmidt, Capella Bydgostiensis
Conductor: Mariusz Smolij
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Naxos
Catalogue: 8579085
Release: 2021
Size: 2.67 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Suite in G major (1884) for strings
01. I. Allegro molto
02. II. (Andante)
03. III. Scherzo
4 Songs, Op. 7
04. No. 1, Gdy ostatnia róża zwiędła (When the last rose wilted) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
05. No. 2, Siwy koniu (Grey horse) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
06. No. 3, Szumi w gaju brzezina (Birch wood rustling in a grove) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
07. No. 4, Chłopca mego mi zabrali (My boy was taken away) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
6 Songs, Op. 18
08. No. 1, Polały się łzy me (My tears have shed) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
09. No. 2, Piosnka dudarza (the Song of Bagpipe Boy) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
10. No. 3, Moja pieszczotka (My cosset) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
11. No. 4, Nad wodą wielką (Over a great water) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
12. No. 5, Tylem wytrwał (arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra) [I endured so much]
13. No. 6, Gdybym się zmienił (If I had changed) [arr. M. Gumiela for soprano and string orchestra]
Miscellanea, Op. 16
14. No. 4, Nokturn [Nocturne] in B-Flat Major [arr. M. Smolij for string orchestra]
Songs, Op. 22
15. No. 1, Dans la forêt (Into the forest) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
16. No. 2, Ton coeur est d’or pur (Your heart Is pure gold) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
17. No. 3, Le Ciel est très bas (the sky Is very low) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
18. No. 4, Naguère (In days gone by) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
19. No. 5, Un jeune pâtre (a young shepherd) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
20. No. 6, Elle marche d’un pas distrait (arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra) [She walks distractedly]
21. No. 7, La Nonne (the Nun) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
22. No. 8, Viduité (Emptiness) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
23. No. 9, Lune froide (Cold moon) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
24. No. 10, Querelleuse (arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra) [Quarrelsome woman]
25. No. 11, L’Amour fatal (Fatal Love) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
26. No. 12, L’Ennemie (the Enemy) [arr. M. Gumiela for mezzo-soprano and string orchestra]
Although Paderewski is more readily associated with his career as a legendary virtuoso pianist, his modest output of 70 orchestral, instrumental and vocal works deserves to be more widely known. Prominent among his vocal output is a series of early songs that reveal natural flowing patterns while exploring both melancholy and folk idioms. The Douze Mélodies, written at the end of his compositional career, is the most original and striking Polish set of songs of the period, notable for dissonance, chromaticism and a palette of rich and unusual musical colours, to which this orchestral arrangement adds a whole new dimension. Little known, the early Suite in G major offers youthful warmth and brio.