Bergson: Orchestral Works

Album review

We live in the age of musical discoveries. The history of Polish music, which for many years has been defined by the output of only the most outstanding composers, regains its full image – we meet forgotten, underestimated and sometimes even ignored artists (despite their great achievements for Polish culture). It is particularly the history of the Polish music composed in the time of Partitions that is being rewritten. For the history of European music, the 19th century is the time of the greatest changes – a bumpy road from late Classicism through the heyday and twilight of Romanticism, to the beginning of all modern trends. For generations of younger composers Chopin’s genius was a source of inspiration; his shadow, on the other hand, became for many an obstacle they were unable to surmount (among those who complained about the difficulty to break away from the “post-Chopinesque” tradition we find such names, as Mieczyslaw Karlowicz and Karol Szymanowski).

The present album was directly inspired by the discovery of the manuscript of the Concerto symphonique pour piano avec orchestre, Op. 62 by Michał Bergson. In addition, soloist Jonathan Plowright made an original selection of Bergson’s solo piano pieces that complement the piano section of the album. © DUX Records