From Chopin to Tansman

The concert opens with Chopin's youthful Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major, Op. 3, composed when he was just nineteen. Though it was written as a gift for a cellist friend, it is more than just a brilliant gesture of friendship. After a lyrical and slightly suspended introduction, the polonaise enters with verve and elegance. From the start, it's clear that for Chopin, the cello wasn't an accompaniment-it was a conversational partner.

Much later, near the end of his life, Chopin wrote the Sonata in G minor, Op. 65. It was his last work published during his lifetime and his only chamber sonata. The form is irregular, and the themes don't unfold according to conventional patterns. Yet there is no chaos. On the contrary, this is coherent, intentional music, deeply rooted in the relationship between two voices. Listeners familiar with Chopin's piano music will be surprised by the extent to which a different approach to texture, sound, and musical narrative is explored.

Chopin's Sonta in G minor, Op. 65, performed by Sol Gabetta (cello) and Nelson Goerner (piano):

The middle section of the recital features 20th-century Polish music, composed by musicians who, in different ways, blended their native musical traditions with the influences of exile. Szymon Laks wrote his Trois pièces de concert in 1930s Paris, a time when classical forms were gaining new vitality. These short miniatures are written with elegance and sensitivity, where Baroque meets jazz, and Polish melodic lines meet a French rhythmic pulse.

Roman Ryterband's Triptyque contemporain was composed in 1944, outside France, yet still within its cultural sphere. Unlike Laks's work, Ryterband's piece is more serious and introspective. All three movements are slow, leading through lyrical themes supported by rich harmonies and a concise form. Ryterband doesn't flaunt modernity, nor does he retreat into the past. He writes in a musical language that leaves room for the listener to interpret.

The concert ends with Aleksander Tansman's Fantaisie-a piece often found in the repertoire of Polish cellists. Tansman favored clear forms, but never gave up on internal energy. The themes are transparent, the rhythm flexible, and the bow has plenty to do. One can hear echoes of jazz, the French piano school, and a compositional craftsmanship that doesn't need to show off to impress. Composers often say that in music, the hardest thing is to write simply. Today's programme proves they likely know what they're talking about.

Trois pièces de concert No. 3 Mouvement Perpétuel performed by Bartosz Koziak (cello) and Grzegorz Mania (piano):