Serenade / Violin Concerto

"An avalanche in the Tatra Mountains in 1909 took from the musical world Mieczyslaw Karlowicz, one of the shining stars on the firmament of emerging composers. Born into a wealthy Polish family in 1876, he was skiing when the accident took place, yet even at that young age he left behind sufficient music to claim a place in musical posterity. Originally trained as a violinist, he had composed his Violin Concerto at the age of twenty-six, a score in three movements, of modest length, but offering the soloist a display of technical brilliance. It does not have the big dramatic opening that would have been expected at the time, but it is of youthful vivacity, the movement's romantic core having the feel of Rachmaninov. It leads directly into the central slow movement, in which I could picture the contents of a passionate love letter. That in turn is linked to an effervescent finale full of happiness and high-speed brilliance. At a time when we hear too much aggressive music, I hope this lovely work will one day find a place in the violin repertoire. It could hardly hope for a more persuasive performance, the Russian-born American virtuoso, Ilya Kaler, in stunning form. The Serenade came from Karlowicz's twenty-first year and is essentially a lightweight score of infinite charm. In four movements for strings, it is full of melody that immediately remains in your memory, the imaginative scoring turning simplicity into beauty. In the Warsaw Philharmonic it enjoys one of the world's most elegant string sections, and throughout both performances Antoni Wit moulds the music with much affection. Outstanding sound quality."
(David'S review Corner)

Described by Gramophone as a 'magician, bewitching our ears', Russian-born American-based violinist Ilya Kaler has won 1st Prizes and Gold Medals at the Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and the Paganini Competitions and made many acclaimed Naxos recordings. He is an ideal soloist in Mieczysław Karłowicz's attractive and spirited Violin Concerto. The Serenade, Karłowicz's first orchestral work, signals the young composer's extraordinary command of expressive ideas and opulent harmonies. Karłowicz's Symphonic Poems Volumes 1 (8.570452) and 2 (8.570295) conducted by Antoni Wit are also available.