Szymanowski, Fitelberg and Umińska play Szymanowski
CRQ Editions CD361

From vinyl recordings originally released by Polskie Nagrania ‘Muza’
(1) Eugenia Umińska, violin; Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Katowice; Grzegorz Fitelberg, conductor
(2) Karol Szymanowski, piano; Copenhagen Radio Symphony Orchestra; Grzegorz Fitelberg, conductor
(3) Karol Szymanowski, piano
(4) Karol Szymanowski, speaker and interviewee.

 

 

  • Violin Concerto No. 1, Op. 35 (1)
  • Symphony No. 4 (Symphonie Concertante) Op. 60 (fragments) (2)
  • Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61 (1)
  • Two Mazurkas for solo piano, No. 13, Op 50, No. 13, and No. 21, Op. 62, No. 1 (3)
  • Speech of 1932; Interview of 1935 (4)
Karol Szymanowski is probably the most celebrated Polish composer of the twentieth century. Many of his works are saturated with a luxuriant sense of late romanticism before he turned to Polish folk music for inspiration.
Both these aspects of his musical creativity may be heard in his two fabulous violin concertos, presented here in rare recordings by two of his finest interpreters, violinist Eugenia Umińska and conductor Grzegorz Fitelberg.
Fitelberg is also heard with Szymanowski himself as pianist in fragments from his Symphony No. 4 (Symphonie Concertante) for piano and orchestra.
Finally the composer features as soloist in two solo piano works and can be heard talking in two radio broadcasts from the 1930s.