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"Polonaise" for oboe, clarinet and bassoon - world premiere
2018-05-14
Thirty years after the Polonaise for oboe, clarinet and bassoon was composed, it is being published by PWM Edition, and its world première on 23 May 2018 at the Polish Library in Paris will be performed by the Cracow Reed Trio, comprised of Marek Mleczko, oboe; Roman Widaszek, clarinet; and Paweł Solecki, bassoon.
Roman Widaszek about Polonaise:
The polonaise – the Polish national dance, of dignified and festive character – has for centuries inspired composers to write not only functional, but also artistic versions of it. More or less expansive, richly orchestrated, sometimes virtuosic polonaises are to be found in the output of such distinguished Polish composers as Fryderyk Chopin, Henryk Wieniawski, Michał Kleofas Ogiński and, in our time, Wojciech Kilar.
Józef Świder, a Polish composer associated mainly with the choral œuvre, but also possessing a substantial output of instrumental works, likewise did not resist the temptation to compose a polonaise. Thus was the Polonaise for mixed choir a cappella written in 1988; almost simultaneously, the composer also arranged it for three wind instruments: oboe, clarinet and bassoon. For his entire lifetime, the composer was associated with Silesia, and this region has always been famous for the high level of its wind players (Świder’s output contains no less than 20 compositions for such ensembles). This is no doubt why the composer also arranged the original musical material for wind quintet and added it to the second version of his Mini-Quintetto in 2005 (at that time, the artist supplemented the work, originally written in 1993, with additional movements: Imitazione and Polonaise; see the 2016 PWM Edition publication). Świder also arranged the Polonaise for three guitars (1996) and women’s choir (2004).
Józef Świder’s Polonaise for oboe, clarinet and bassoon is a concise, one-movement miniature that can represent perfect material for concert performance, but also for educational purposes. Considering the fact that there are entirely too few contemporary Polish compositions scored for reed instrument trio, this work will without doubt enrich the repertoire for that performance ensemble. The composition is ideally suited to chamber music training at music secondary schools.
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