Piano Quintet No. 1

www.annaszalucka.com 00:00-08:30 Molto espressivo. Allegro 08:30-12:50 Presto 12:50-21:20 Grave 21:20-26:47 Con passione Piano - Anna Szałucka Violin I - Patrycja Mynarska Violin II - Roma Tic Viola - Victoria Bernath Cello - Joanna Gutowska Grażyna Bacewicz's catalog of works includes two Piano Quintets from years 1952 and 1965. These works belong to the neoclassical period in her legacy characterized by the use of traditional forms, folk stylizations, calligraphic clarity of themes, sparing textures, sophistication of harmonics and clarity of narration. The First Piano Quintet consists of four movements. The opening Moderato molto espressivo - Allegro is written in the sonata form and begins with an introduction. The main theme, feisty and vigorous brings to mind the music of Bartók and Stravinsky. The second theme dissolves into colorful phantasmagorias. In the second movement, Presto, we can hear oberek - Bacewicz's favorite Polish folk dance, which we can find in many of her compositions (including Piano Sonata, Piano Concerto and violin works). The subsequent Grave is indeed heavy - like a funeral march (piano) against which a solemn ode of strings resounds. Only now we understand where such poignant phrases came from in the introduction of the Quintet. Tragic tones do not prevail - the tonal center is a dignified B flat major chord. After a dramatic climax, the music, ever quieter, is stretched between the poles - an earthly piano and a heavenly pair of violins. Just like the first movement, the final Con passione is written in the sonata form. The most specific feature here is the polyrhytmic richness, which builds a clearly different narrative, despite taking over the formal principles and motivational ideas already used in the work.