Piotr Plawner, the violinist on this recording, plays a Tomasso Balestrieri violin.
Composition History
Alexandre Tansman's Cinq pièces pour violon et petit orchestre were commissioned by the great Hungarian violinist Josef Szigeti, who premiered them in Carnegie Hall in 1930.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Andrzej Panufnik, a composer on this album, developed a 'three-note cell language' for his compositions, finding 'new harmonies, new expressions, new sound colours' within these self-imposed limits.
Composition History
Michał Spisak's Andante and Allegro for Violin and String Orchestra was commissioned by Nadia Boulanger for a class taught by Yehudi Menuhin in Fontainebleau.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Alexandre Tansman, a composer on this album, believed that 'in music the present will always reflect the past and all its achievements,' and did not aspire to be a modern composer but 'a composer of this time.'
Historical Context
The four Polish composers featured on this album, Grażyna Bacewicz, Alexandre Tansman, Michał Spisak, and Andrzej Panufnik, all maintained strong ties to their Polish heritage despite settling in different countries.
Composer Biography
Grażyna Bacewicz, a composer on this album, was a child prodigy on the violin and served as concertmistress of the Polish Radio Orchestra before dedicating herself to composition and teaching.
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