Henryk Melcer-Szczawinski (1869-1928) - Piano Concerto No.1 & 2

Henryk Melcer-Szczawinski (1869-1928) The Romantic Piano Concerto, Vol.44 - Melcer   Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor I. Maestoso II. Andantino III. Vivo ma non troppo e poi molto accelerando Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor I. Allegro moderato II. Andante non troppo lento III. Allegro con fuoco   Jonathan Plowright piano Christoph König maestro BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra

 

 

Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński (1869-1928) was a Polish composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.

Works
His works include two piano concertos, one in E minor (1892-4) and one in C minor (1898), a violin sonata (1907) and a piano trio in G minor (probably written 1892-4), a tragedy "Protesilas i Laodamia" (1902, libretto by S. Wyspiański), and a Symphony in C minor.

Recordings
Both piano concertos were recorded in the past on Olympia and on Muza, and in 2007 on Hyperion. The Violin Sonata for Violine in G major, the Dumka for Violin and Piano and the Piano Trio, Op.2 were recorded by the Warsaw Trio for the AP label.

Hyperion’s celebrated Romantic Piano Concerto series reaches volume 44. This disc includes two prize-winning concertos written in the 1890s by the Polish composer-pianist Henryk Melcer. The first is written in the style of Liszt and Chopin, and is notable particularly for its thrilling finale which is marked by its strong Polish character: starting as a mazurka, the accelerando through the movement increases the excitement of the piece, giving it the frenzy of a kujawiak or oberek. The second concerto was also appreciated by contemporary critics for its imaginative use of Polish themes: one reviewer writes of ‘themes full of expression in Polish character that are developed so splendidly and broadly that they leave us enraptured … an unforgettable impression remains after hearing the Concerto’. This work demands particular technical virtuosity, versatility and stamina on the part of the pianist, who is playing almost continuously.

Jonathan Plowright (born Yorkshire 1959) is a British concert pianist. Educated at Stonyhurst College, Lancashire.

Gold Medallist at The Royal Academy of Music, London where his professor was Alexander Kelly (pianist), and recipient of a Fulbright Scholarship to study at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore USA with Julio Esteban.

Winner of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Award and the European Piano Competition.

USA debut Carnegie Recital Hall 1984. UK debut Wigmore Hall 1985.

Has performed worldwide as recitalist, appeared with leading orchestras and ensembles, made many highly acclaimed commercial recordings and given numerous radio and TV broadcasts.

Recognised for his championing of neglected music from Polish Romantic composers, Stojowski, Paderewski and Melcer, which he has recorded for Hyperion Records.

Professor at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama and Head of Keyboard at the University of Chichester, also regularly invited to give masterclasses, consultation lessons and prize adjudications

Hailed by reviewers as "a colossal musical mind" with a "transcendent technique", Jonathan Plowright is recognised globally as a truly exceptional pianist.

Gold Medallist at the Royal Academy of Music and a Fulbright Scholar, prizewinner in many competitions, Jonathan won Gold Medal at the Royal Overseas League Competition as well as first prize at the European Piano Competition. Critics, colleagues and audiences alike have since had unanimous praise for his many national and international performances and he has been in demand all over the world as recitalist, appeared with leading orchestras and ensembles and given numerous radio broadcasts.
Jonathans last eight CD recordings have been exclusively for Hyperion records, the UK’s largest and highly respected independent classical music label. Most recently his commemorative 'Hommage a Chopin' recording attracted unanimous praise, including the prestigious Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Gramophone Editor’s Choice, Diapason D'Or and CD of the Week on both ClassicFM and ABC ClassicFM.

A conductor of exceptional intelligence and musicality, Christoph König currently holds positions as the Principal Conductor of the Orquesta Nacional do Porto (Portugal) and as Principal Guest Conductor of the Solistes Européens, Luxembourg. His conducting is marked by an energetic and serious approach to musical collaboration and a commitment to thoughtful and stimulating programming. His second season in Porto is marked by performances of Mahler’s first three symphonies and large-scale works by Bruckner, Strauss and Ravel, as well as a significant element of contemporary repertoire including works by Henze, Saariaho and Pintscher.

Christoph König is in demand as a guest conductor throughout Europe. During the 2009/2010 season, he will appear with the Mozarteum Orchestra, Tonkünstler Orchester/Vienna, Real Filharmoniá de Galicia, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica y Coro RTVE and the Vilabertan Schubertiada. Other engagements include the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, London Mozart Players, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. In May of 2008, he led a highly successful tour of China with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Mr. König’s reputation as an opera conductor has risen swiftly after stepping in at short notice to conduct the Zürich Opera’s 2003 production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail, directed by Jonathan Miller. He has also led the Zürich Opera in productions of Die Zauberflöte and Il Turco in Italia with Cecilia Bartoli and Ruggero Raimondi. Other opera performances include a production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail at the Teatro Real in Madrid, Don Giovanni at the Staatsoper in Stuttgart and Die Zauberflote and Rigoletto at the Deutsche Oper Berlin.

Christoph König was Principal Conductor of the Malmö Symphony Orchestra from 2003 until 2006, as well as Principal Guest Conductor of the Orquesta Filarmonica de Gran Canaria. With both orchestras, he has conducted a wide range of repertoire from Haydn and Mozart to Ligeti, Henze and Turnage. With the Malmö Symphony, he has conducted concert performances of Madama Butterfly and Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

For Hyperion, Mr. König conducted a highly acclaimed CD of music by Henryk Melcer, with pianist Jonathan Plowright and the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. His recording of Brahms’s First Piano Concerto with the same orchestra was featured on the front cover of BBC Music Magazine in September 2009.

Christoph König was born in Dresden, where he sang as a boy soprano in the famous Dresdner Kreuzchor; he later studied conducting, as well as piano and voice, at the Hochschule für Musik in Dresden. Mr. König also participated in masterclasses given by such renowned conductors as Sergiu Celibidache and Sir Colin Davis, who subsequently invited him to be his assistant for both concerts and opera productions with the Sächsische Staatskapelle in Dresden. He began his professional career as Erster Kapellmeister in Wuppertal/Gelsenkirchen

The Romantic Piano Comcerto ~ 44

Melcer - Piano Concerto No.1 in E minor

　　　 Piano Concerto No.2 in C minor

2008, hyperion

Recording details: March 2007