Recorded at 96 kHz with the AYRE prototype
AD converter, Cardas Neutral Reference cables and MA`s own custom, line
level DC powered mikes.
MA is proud to present the debut recording
of Polish classical guitarist Grzegorz Krawiez. Grzegorz (pronounced “Gjegosh” with
a soft “j”), being Polish, decided on a program which would
show from where the guitar originated, Spain, to where he is today, Warsaw,
Poland. Hence, the program of “Journey” begins in Spain, then “passes
thru”, France, Italia, Germany, Hungary and arrives in Poland where
actually two composers are featured. (By the way, Krawiez, if you are English
speaking, is pronounced “Kraviets”).
Press Review
Twenty-five year old Polish guitarist Grzegorz
Krawiec is right now reaching what is perhaps the most crucial turning
point in a young guitarist's career:
he is exiting the world of musical academies and competitions, and beginning
to perform and record on a professional level. However, it is simply not
enough to be technically and musically brilliant anymore, one must communicate
with their listener at every step of the process and on all possible levels.
I believe that in his debut recording entitled "Journey" Krawiec
has succeeded in doing this. Superficially, the recording itself is beautifully
packaged, adorning photographs of Krawiec that share the various aspects
of his unique personality. The playing is technically flawless and features
pleasing interpretations of several juxtaposed compositional styles. To this
reviewer, what makes this recording particularly worthy of praise is Krawiec's
careful selection of mostly uncommon repertoire which is then drawn together
and presented as a musical journey across Europe. Aside from the Tárrega
and Mertz, the composers featured on the disc are not often performed on
the guitar, especially here in North America. These works are all contemporary
compositions, yet written in an accessible extended-tonal style comparable
to Brouwer or Domeniconi. I was particularly drawn to Nuccio D'Angelo's "Duo
Canzoni Lidie" with its sparse, haunting harmonies, and hints of orientalism.
The series of character sketches entitled "Reminiscencje" by Polish
composer Sylwester Laskowski, are also of note as they are dedicated to Krawiec.
Although they are quite short and not particularly profound, they are appealing
as they are quirky, colorful, and varied. Throughout all of this Krawiec
plays impeccably, making it evident that he has put everything he could into
this disc, setting the stage for what can only be a successful performance
career.
© Timothy Smith
Minor 7th.com: Acoustic
Guitar Music Reviews
Here are the liner notes which Gzregorz
and his Canadian promoter, Mark Rowsom put together:
With "Journey - Podroz;" I
invite you to join me on a musical journey through Europe from the 19th
to the 21st centuries. Each composition was originally written for guitar,
and together they reveal the huge range of colours which this delicate
instrument can create.
The guitar which had enjoyed
a prominent position in classical music began to slip from favour in the
second half of the 19th century. Improvements in piano construction
resulting in a wider dynamic range made them the instrument of choice for
solo concerts in large halls. Today, advances in recording and amplification
have made it possible for the guitar to regain its position among classical
music enthusiasts and be recognized as a solo instrument that offers more
possibilities than any other.
Our journey begins in
Spain with the greatest guitarist of the late 19th century, Francisco Tarrega.
Born in Villareal, November 21, 1852, he is credited with the rebirth of
the guitar in the 20th century, a time when the guitar was considered
only useful as accompaniment for singers. Although he was shy and did not
enjoy playing in public, Tarrega devised many of the technical skills we
use today that enable guitarists to be considered concert performers.
This set of variations
is based on the Venetian song "Oh mamma, mamma cara" which had
been previously set by many composers including Chopin, Rossini and Paganini.
It depicts the lovers, jugglers, tumblers, fireworks and lighthearted jesting
of carnival time. Not surprisingly, Tarrega incorporated every musical
device at his disposal to achieve the widest range of expression and technical
brilliance. Published posthumously, the set begins with an expansive introduction,
followed by the theme and 8 variations which reveal the most important
lesson he learned from his teacher, Manuel Gonzalez: how to warm up an
audience.
Crossing the Pyrenees,
we venture into France. One of the best-known modern guitar composers is
Francis Kleynjans, who was born April 15, 1951. He began studying with
Alexandre Lagoya and perfected his skills under the guidance of Alirio
Diaz. In addition to concert, television, and radio performances, he has
composed over 600 works which include guitar. At Dawn of the Last Day won
first prize in the 22nd Radio France competition and is one
of the most descriptive pieces ever written for guitar. A short introduction
describes the painful waiting and despair of the lonely prisoner in his
cell. A tolling clock announces dawn and the prisoner's mind wavers between
fantasy and bitter reality as he is led to the guillotine.
Travelling down through
the Swiss and Italian Alps we find two pleasantly contrasting songs written
by Italian guitarist Nuccio D'Angelo, born in 1955. He began composing
for guitar at an early age, and studied with the guitarist Alvaro Company.
His studies in composition were with Gaetano Giani-Luporini. In 1984 he
won first prize at the Festival of Contemporary Music in Tokyo with Due
canzoni lidie which has become a contemporary classic. The two pieces
in this composition describe an enchanted traveller in a primitive world.
Improvisational freedom combined with ancient modal harmonies gradually
gain momentum through the use of an ostinato and two melodies before
subsiding to form one long arching phrase. The second piece is also mysterious
and modal, with a new melody hidden within the fast notes, but far more
relentless in its constantly building intensity.
Crossing north to Germany, we
find that Hans Werner Henze's three pieces illustrate the variety and melodic
beauty which is possible within the framework of atonality. Born
in Gutersloh on July 1, 1926, Henze studied in Brunswick and Heidelberg,
developing an appreciation of both neo-classical and experimentalist forms
of expression.
When Henze moved to Italy
in 1953 his focus on opera led to a more lyrical and sensuous style. In
the midst of these very large orchestral and vocal works, he wrote the
first of his solo guitar works, "Drei Tentos" which form part
of Kammermusik 1958. Although they exhibit free tonality and many
shifting tempi, the flowing melodies of the first and third sections form
a counterpart to the more aggressive middle section.
Hungary beckons next,
where Johann Kasper Mertz provides us with one of the most romantic yet
pensive solos in the guitar repertoire. Born August 17, 1806 Mertz was
active as a performer and composer in Vienna. His style, more pianistic
than most guitar music, is steeped in the romanticism of Chopin, Mendelssohn
and Schumann. This may have been Mertz's response to the rising popularity
of the piano in the mid 19th century. In Elegie, he illustrates
that the guitar can offer as much technical and harmonic ingenuity as the
piano, but with a much wider range of colour and expression.
Returning home to Poland,
we find that Sylwester Laskowski has written a number of musical portraits.
He was born in 1973 and began to study the guitar at the age of 15. In
2003 Sylwester graduated with a Masters degree from The Frederic Chopin
Academy of Music under Prof. Marcin Zalewski. His interest in improvisation
and composition also developed during this period, and guitar miniatures
constitute a fundamental part of his creative output. Reminiscencje is
full of gratitude for six very important young women in his life. The last
reflects on the most important woman who crossed his path: Magdalena Szczepańska,
his wife. Laskowski`s gift for melodic inventiveness highlights
distinctive characteristics, yet in each one, grace and kindness are revealed.
Our journey concludes
with a grand celebration for Jan Nepomucen Bobrowicz, a guitarist greatly
admired by his compatriots and who Franz Liszt dubbed "the Chopin
of the guitar." He was born in Krakow on May 12, 1805, and studied
with the celebrated Mauro Giuliani. His fame was firmly established in
Vienna and throughout Germany. This year (2005) marks the bicentenary of
his birth.
Since two thirds of his
preserved works are sets of variations, this one, based on the famous duet
by Mozart, "La ci darem la mano," forms a fitting tribute. Chopin
also wrote variations on this melody, however, Bobrowicz retained the original
key and created mostly new and brilliant figures throughout the set. The
penultimate variation, in the minor mode, leads to a virtuosic cadenza,
then attacca into the last variation and coda. The final grand gesture
recalls four of the most important figures from previous variations, thereby
adding coherence to the entire set. Similarly, we began and now end our
journey in joyful celebration for guitar music in all its variety, and
for its future.
Born
in 1980, Grzegorz was a brilliant student and entered the Frederic Chopin
Academy of Music in Warsaw in 1999. Under the direction of Professor Marcin
Zalewski he completed his Masters Degree in Guitar Performance in 2004.
He has performed with Aukso Chamber Orchestra and the National Polish Filharmonic
Orchestra in Warsaw. Grzegorz has won international competitions and prizes
in the Kazimierz Sosinski Competition 1997 in Gdańsk, Poland, the
International Guitar Competition 1998 in Bath, England, and the Karl Scheit
Competition 2002 in Vienna, Austria. Throughout Europe he has recorded
for radio and television, and his concert engagements have taken him to
Austria, Canada, Czech Republic, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary, Italy,
Slovakia, and Spain.
And, here are some additional
Notes by Mark Rowsom – who owns the “Wandering Minstrel” record
shop in Stratford, Canada:
In January of 2004 a friend
emailed to ask if I would host a concert for a young Polish guitarist who
was the student of a friend of her friend. I figured that a guitarist only
needs a chair, so why not? The two concerts that I planned went so
well that I quickly organized a third one for May 8th, 2004, the day before
he would return to Poland. Even the audience members who had to sit
in the next room were thrilled by what they heard and were soon asking
when he would come back. It seemed like such an easy way to make lots of
people happy, so I decided to organize a little tour of southern Ontario. I
was told (by Loreena McKennitt) that touring could be really enjoyable,
but that he MUST have a released recording.
I went back to my CD shop
and started investigating recording techniques and microphones because
I remembered hearing from a few people that microphones are the most important
piece of equipment.
I started listening to
CDs of guitar music to see which sounded the best, and then loaned some
to an audiophile friend who confirmed for me that the M-A Recordings were
in a class of their own. For years they had been my favourite CDs,
and I was glad that someone who really listens to the sound quality of
recordings agreed with me.
Luckily I happened to
notice the email address on the CD, so I wrote a letter asking for information
about the microphones used in MA Recordings and received a very detailed,
prompt, and helpful reply. There followed more questions and more detailed
replies including the hint that a recording company would likely do a better
job than I could.
One month later I was
dancing with my friends because Todd Garfinkle had agreed to do a recording
with Grzegorz Krawiec. I was elated because I knew that Todd`s recordings
are like stories told by someone who has learned to listen, and his level
of craftsmanship can only be achieved by someone who wants to create a
work of art. A few months and many emails later, the concept and
program for the CD were confirmed and the lovely 13th century church in
Kracow was booked for the recording sessions.
Wandering Minstrel
281
Ontario St.
Stratford, ON, Canada N5A
3H6
tel: 519-273-2790
fax: 519-273-2976
