Poulenc/Mozart/Schubert

Symphonic Concert

Performers:

Warmia and Mazury Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

Alexandr Iradyan — conductor

Piano Duo Books

Witold Paprocki — a word about music

Programa:

Francis Poulenc — Concerto for two pianos and orchestra in D minor (FP 61) *

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart — Piano Concerto No. 21 in C major KV 467

Franciszek Schubert — Symphony No. 8 in B minor

* “CONCERTO POUR PIANO” Music: Francis POULENC © Ed. Salabert

A bubbling mass of Gallic energy that in a matter of seconds can move and cause laughter, and tears. His language speaks clearly, directly and humanly to every generation*

Apart from the fact that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart did not possess Gallic blood, the above quote can be attributed to the two protagonists of the first part of the concert: both the wonderful Salzburgian and Francis Poulenc. The above words were written by Jessica Duchen in the most famous British newspaper, The Times, on the hundredth anniversary of the birth of the French creator. During his lifetime, the French composer was a valued and concerted pianist, therefore piano concertos predominate among his symphonic works (4). However, he also wrote ballets, operas, chamber music, songs and works for choir. The concerto for two pianos and orchestra is a stylistic collage, which is considered the peak achievement of the first period of Poulenc's work.

(...) The work [is] intended solely for entertainment. It draws from a variety of stylistic sources: the first part ends with reminiscences of the Balinese gamelan, and the free part contains references to Mozart's style, which Poulenc gradually fills with his own distinctive, personal touches**

A glimpse of Mozart, a dose of humour, striking instrumental effects, lyrical melodies and much more — this is what Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos hides. It's certainly not a sleep-rocking track — especially the beginning of the third part:

The finale begins with the explosive entrance of the drums, which, like an Alfa Romeo competing in the Grand Prix, travels through the alleys and alleys of Paris, passing marching orchestras and concert halls. In the course of this race, however, a lyrical-romantic interlude occurs when Alpha stops for a tryst, where perfume and sweat mix with the smoke of the Gauloises. After that, the race resumes even more vividly***.

The late Piano Concerto in C major KV 467 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is — in contrast to its predecessor (Concerto in D minor KV 466) — a voice of joyful yet calm elegance. Preserved in a classic form, although not devoid of cosmetic modifications, it has been delighting listeners for 241 years. The sonorous use of the possibilities of the piano, the ensemble and the balance between the virtuosity of the solo part and the orchestral part clearly testify to the masterful compositional workshop. It is not surprising that Francis Poulenc said that he puts the master of Salzburg above all musicians.”

The evening will end with Franz Schubert's Symphony in B minor D.759, called Unfinished. This enigmatic nickname is the result of the striking and hidden history of the work behind the shrouded past. In modern times, that is, the beginning of the 19th century, for the composer, 4-part symphonies were the norm. Schubert completed the first two, the third (Scherzo) remained an unfinished piano sketch, and the fourth... was not created at all. Why such a fate befell a symphony with such beautiful, shapely melodic themes, an unusual use of the sound capabilities of the orchestra, a somewhat mysterious overtone (sometimes it is called the first romantic symphony) - we will probably never know. However, it is not without reason that it has become one of the most performed, and, consequently, the most popular among the symphonies of the Viennese master of songs.

Agnieszka Teodora Zabińska

*Gerald Larner, Maître with the light touch, [in:] The Times, 6.011999, p. 30, own translation.

** Claire Delamarche, lyrics for the album Poulenc Concertos, Decca, London, 1966.

*** Chris Woodstra, Gerald Brennan, Allen Schrott, (ed.) All Music Guide to Classical Music: The Definitive Guide to Classical Music, Backbeat Books, New York 2005, p. 1020, own translation.

**** Claude Rostand, Interviews with Claude Rostand, Paris1954, p. 83.

Winners of the 2nd prize of the 12th Franz Schubert und die Musik der Moderne International Chamber Competition (Graz, Austria 2025), winners of the 2nd Stanisław Moniuszko International Competition of Polish Music in Rzeszów (2021) in the category chamber ensembles. They have performed together in many places in Poland and abroad (Switzerland, France, Germany, Great Britain, South Africa, Thailand,), both with recitals and with orchestra accompaniment. The duo has a wide repertoire, both for four hands and for two pianos, in which Polish music occupies a special place.

The ensemble has been repeatedly awarded at international competitions: II International Competition of Piano Duets “Duettissimo” — 3rd prize and special prize for the best performance of a work by a Polish composer (Krakow 2024), XXI International Competition of Piano Duets and F. Schubert — 2nd prize, special prize for the best performance of Schubert's works (Jesenik, Czech Republic), 2019), III Suzana Szrenya International Piano Duet Competition — finalist title and special prize (Bucharest, Romania, 2019).

In 2022, Książek Piano Duo was nominated for the “Corypheus of Polish Music” award in the Discovery of the Year category. In 2020, the band's critically acclaimed debut album was released, which included suites for two pianos by Anton Areński and Sergiusz Rachmaninov (DUX 1720). In autumn 2024, the Polish Radio Music Agency (PRCD 2461) released a new album of the duo with works by early Romantic Polish composers (Józef Elsner, Ignacy Dobrzyński, Fryderyk Chopin) recorded on a historical instrument (Broadwood, 1847). The artists are laureates of the scholarship program “Young Poland”.

The piano duo was founded in 2012 by Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek. The musicians began their collaboration under the supervision of Dr. Sławomir Cierpiek while studying at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow, later they also worked under the guidance of Prof. Maria Szwajger-Kułakowska and Aria Vardi. They completed postgraduate studies in the class of Dr. Bartłomiej Komink at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music, as well as master's studies under the direction of Silver-Garburg Piano Duo at the Kunstuniversität in Graz. The duo is represented by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association.