Description
Lovers of Polish music and unexpected discoveries of lost works will certainly enjoy the album featuring piano pieces and songs by Wladyslaw Zelenski (1837–1921). On the album, we present both famous and recently discovered works by the composer.
Wladyslaw Zelenski was mainly associated with Cracow. He was a man-institution – he composed music, performed, organized the musical life of the city. His output, apart from the obvious aesthetic qualities, uplifted and spoke to the national feelings of Poles deprived of official statehood at the time. Zelenski specialized mainly in vocal music – he was passionate about composing operas, but he also created songs, some of which, to the words of well-known, mainly Polish poets, we present on the album. His piano oeuvre is slightly less known and therefore worthy of the highest recommendation. This is the field where we will find the recently discovered pieces, namely Un song-Allegro fantastique, Op. 15 and... a potpourri of stylized Polish dances written by the eleven-year-old composer for his grandmother (Souvenir for Grandma).
The recording was made on a period piano from 1890, while the vocal performance manner is consistent with the then customs. Maria Gabrys-Heyke plays the piano, and the soprano part is performed by Marta Trybulec.