The Romantic Violin Concerto - 15

EMIL MLYNARSKI (1870-1935): Violin Concertos No. 1 in D Minor, Op 11 (World Premiere Recording) and No. 2 in D, Op. 16, ALEKSANDER ZARZYCKI (1834-1895): Introduction et Cracovienne in D, Op. 35, Mazurka in G, Op. 26.

Description: Mlynarski is best known as a conductor (especially in Scotland, of what is now known as the Royal Scottish National Orchestra); his three largest-scale works are these two concertos and a symphony Polonia. Unlike many Polish composers, Mlynarski has little to do with folk music and only the finale of the Second contains folk-like material; otherwise, what we have here is late European Romanticism, as lyrical as it is virtuosic, with the soloist more integrated with the orchestra in the more subtly imagined Second of 1916 (the First dates from 1897). Polish folk style is the raison d'être, however, of Zarzycki's two short encore-style pieces, rarely heard in their full orchestra garb. Eugene Ugorski (violin), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra; Michal Dworzynski.