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"Roman Maciejewski - composer and pianist"
2007-06-26
A new album has been released with archive recording of Maciejewski's piano pieces performed by the composer.Roman Maciejewski was born in Berlin on 28th February 1910, the day before the 100th anniversary of Frederic Chopin's birth. His whole musical life was dominated by the piano. Already as a little child, he as lulled to sleep by the sounds of Chopin's mazurkas from the next-door room, where his mother gave music lessons. It was with her that he began to learn the piano. He soon took up a piano study in the Julius Stern Conservatory in Berlin, continued after World War II in Poznań Conservatory.
He composed mostly for the piano, taking up various musical forms. He was fond of composing for two pianos. It was the mazurkas, however, that received his most assiduous attention. He gave them with a highly original. refined form, and the spirit of Polish-ness continued to inform them.
He first visited Poland after World War II in the summer months of 1959. In September 1960 he conducted his Requiem in Warsaw Philharmonic. It was then that the Musical Department of the Polish radio requested the composer to record his own piano works, hitherto virtually unknown to the Polish audience, during a studio session. After some hesitation - as several years earlier he had given up public performances - Roman Maciejewski finally agreed to record 20 of his compositions as a pianist. His partner in works for two pianos was another eminent pianist - chamber musician, Jerzy Lefeld. These archive recordings of the composer's own interpretations are of invaluable cultural and documentary historical value. [Wojciech Maciejewski, booklet]
The compositions on this CD: Lullaby, 9 Mazurkas, Concerto for 2 pianos (Pianoduo concertante), Lullaby, Oberek, Tarantella, Mazurek for 2 pianos and Negro Spirituals for 2 pianos.
2007 Polskie Radio SA, PRCD 885
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