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SMOCZYŃSKI: Polish Suite for Flute, Violin, Baritone Violin & String Orch. CZARNECKI: Venedian Concerto for Clarinet & Strings. MAJKUSIAK: Rhythm Games for Cello, Accordion, Strings & Percussion / Mateusz Smoczyński, vln/bar-vln. Jadwiga Kotnowska, fl; Arthur Pachlewski, cl; Karolina Jaroszewska, cel; Klaudiusz Baran, acc; Witold Lutosławski Łomźa Chamber Phulharmonic Orch.; Jan Milosz Zarzycki, cond / Dux 2023
This strange CD, which was sent to me via snail mail all the way from Poland, is going to receive the shortest review I’ve ever written on this blog—short, but positive.
The music consists of three suites written by contemporary Polish composers, all of whom have worked in other musical fields besides classical. Perhaps the most diverse of all is the incredible violinist-composer Mateusz Smoczyński, former member of the Turtle Island Quartet and current member (and founder) of the Atom String Quartet, who is one of the two or three greatest jazz violinists in the world in addition to being a composer. The oldest and most distinguished is Sławomir Czarnecki (b. 1949), a member of the Society of Authors ZAiKS, the Polish Composers’ Union and the Karol Szymanowski Music Society. Several pieces on this album are based on but not direct copies of Polish folk music. The primary vibe of the album is that of lightweight fun combined with some truly imaginative musical ideas. Oddly for a country that is known as the “Gateway to the West,” much of this new Polish music has strong Middle Eastern overtones. Several pieces here reminded me of the work of Lebanese oud player and jazz musician Rabih Abou-Khalil (the composer of the well-known Arabian Waltz); others have overtones of minimalism.
But all of the music is refreshing, lively, and enjoyable. This is not a deep thinking CD, even if those with more complex musical minds will find some surprising twists and subtleties in it. Typical of any music based on Polish folk themes, the clarinet and the accordion feature prominently in two of the three suites, with Smoczyński’s violin and baritone violin as well as Jadwiga Kotnowska’s flute the prominent soloists in the first.
I am not giving any technical analysis of these works because they are not necessary for you to simply enjoy this music. It’s a lovely “mind relaxer” for those of us who normally delve deep into darker, more complex music. This album is available for streaming (by subscribers) on Amazon Music, and if you’re willing to wait for an overseas package you can buy it directly from Dux Records or from Banquet Records, but that’s about it. Well worth seeking out, however.
—© 2024 Lynn René Bayley
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