Anna Kijanowska - Polish Mazurkas [CD]

Anna Kijanowska has been playing mazurkas for a long time. Following her first album, devoted to Karol Szymanowski's pieces, Kijanowska returns to DUX to explore forgotten works by both known and less popular Polish composers.</p> <p>29 dance miniatures arranged in chronological order show the evolution of the genre over more than 180 years. The mazurka, closely related to the oberek and the kujawiak, has been danced in Poland since the early Middle Ages. In spite of its rural origin, it cemented its popularity not only at weddings; during the partitions, composers would reach for it to manifest their patriotic attitude. The number of works presented on the album proves the immense popularity of mazurkas, and yet neither Zarebski, Moszkowski, Maciejewski nor their most famous creators - Chopin and Szymanowski - are present here. However, echoes of their output can be heard in many compositions.</p> <p>Anna Kijanowska, a Polish-American pianist involved in the popularization of Polish music through performances on several continents, once again proves that mazurkas are extremely close to her. She shows their beauty and character in a subtle and balanced style. In earlier compositions, folk references take on a rather restrained, veiled form. A genuine kaleidoscope of ideas, interesting harmonic, melodic and textural solutions is hidden in later works, i.e. Neoromantic and contemporary. The mazurka turns out to be an inexhaustible source of inspiration and will probably continue to be such an influence for the next generations of artists.</p>