Grazyna Bacewicz - Sonatas for Violin & Piano (2006)

Spirited, full of rhythmic gaiety; briskiness and flair. A couple of words that define Bacewicz’s music. Avax member kraehe, who posted Elizabeth Maconchy’s string quartets, classified the compositions of Bacewicz and her English colleague and age peer as ‘tough tonal’,. These words may serve as a nice reminder the ladies didn’t deal in mere trivialities. As a listener you’ll certainly have something substantial to digest – but never fear it might go too far astray into the field of experimental avant-garde.
As a reviewer remarked, an obvious influence on both ladies is Bartok; perhaps not as far as the Hungarian’s use of folk idioms is concerned, but the comparison more or less holds for the internal grit of the music.

I managed to get Bacewicz’s Symphony no. 3 and Concerto for String Orchestra as well. During her lifetime the Polish composer, writer and teacher – and student of Nadia Boulanger - received abundant praise for especially the latter; yet I like these parts for violin and piano better. The violin was her instrument, and she gets more daring when composing parts for it in smaller settings.
These works were composed around 1952.

performers:

Ewa Kupiec - piano
Pjotr Plawner - violin

tracks:

CD1
1-4 Partita
5-7 Sonata no. 5
8 Humoreske
9 Kolysanka
10-13 Witraz
15-19 Sonata da camera
20 Melodia

CD2
1-4 Sonata no. 3
5-8 Sonata no. 2
9-10 Two Oberki
11-13 Concertino
14 Caprice
15 Theme with Variations
16-18 Three Dances