Artur Malawski - Orchestral Works

Artur MALAWSKI (1904-1957)

Overture (1948)

Etiudy symfoniczne (Symphonic Études) (1947)

Tryptyk góralski (Mountaineers Triptych) (1949)

Toccata for Small Orchestra (1947)

Suita popularna (Popular Suite) (1952)

Beata Bilińska (piano)

Artur Malawski Podkarpacka Philharmonic

Mariusz Smolij

Recorded; 2024, Malawski Philharmonic, Rzeszów, Poland

Review:

Polish composer Artur Malawski (1904-1957) honed his musical trade as a violinist until an injury to his left hand forced him to alter his course and concentrate on teaching and composition. In 1936 he began studies in composition at the State Conservatory of Music in Warsaw. Whilst working as a conductor during the 1940s and 50s he began to draw attention as a composer. His works were often performed in Poland during his lifetime and in fact his Symphonic Études for piano and orchestra was showcased at the International Society for Contemporary Music Festival in Amsterdam. But following his sudden death in 1957, both his music and his name fell through the cracks of time.

His music may not be groundbreaking and/or felicitous, but it does at times have an urgency to it that pulls you in. It's like a cross between the rhythmic edge and incisiveness of Béla Bartók and the motif driven development of his compatriot Andrzej Panufnik. This combination of styles and techniques is pushed to the limit in his riveting Overture from 1948. His Symphonic Études for piano and orchestra (a piano concerto if not by name) blends moments of atmospheric contemplation with moments of sheer exuberance, all well manifested by pianist Beata Bilinska.

These are all world premiere 'commercial' recordings of 20th century symphonic music hitherto unavailable. A great opportunity for collectors out there to discover new music previously destined to sit on dusty archive shelves.

Jean-Yves Duperron (Classical Music Sentinel)