Expression in Karol Szymanowski’s Piano Sonatas
Gajusz KĘSKA
Chair of Piano, Instrumental Faculty, The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, ul. Św. Tomasza 43, 31-027 Cracow, Poland , PolandAbstract
The article presents the author’s insight into three outstanding and monumental works by Karol Szymanowski. The text focuses on a complex layer of expression, based on the author’s extensive experience in the field of performance and studio recording, as well as numerous presentations of the pieces in question during concerts. The discussion is supported by a thorough analysis of the musical material and meticulous research into Szymanowski’s oeuvre. In the presented reflections, an important role is played by observations, conveyed to the author in private communications, made by outstanding interpreters (including Tadeusz Żmudziński) of the composer’s works.
The article is a result of the search for truth about the most personal feelings that the composer included in his works, as seen from the perspective of a performer and interpreter, but also that of a scholar and researcher.
Keywords:
Karol Szymanowski, piano sonatas, interpretation of expression, performance analysis, transcendental work of art, beginning of 21st century, Polish music, original interpretationChair of Piano, Instrumental Faculty, The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow, ul. Św. Tomasza 43, 31-027 Cracow, Poland
