Aleksander Zarzycki - Romans E-dur
Published in 1877

Violinist: Piotr Plawner
Pianist: Piotr Sałajczyk

Aleksander Zarzycki (1834-1895) was a Polish composer who was born in Lviv (Lwów). It is assumed that he studied piano with Rudolf Viole in Berlin and then privately studied composition with Napoléon Henri Reber in Paris and then with Carl Reinecke at the Leipzig Conservatory.

Zarzycki did not contribute much to Polish music as a composer. Most of his work was derivative of Moniuszko and Chopin. He would serve Polish music in another way, however, as he was both the first artistic director of the Warsaw Music Society and one of its co-founders. This institution would serve Polish music to the present, and it touched the lives of many of the composers featured on this channel. Even more important was his role as the director of the Warsaw Music Institute which he assumed after the death of Apolinary Kątski in 1879.

As director, he raised education standards considerably which attracted other faculty new faculty members like Paderewski and Barcewicz to the institute [1]. Zarzycki also stimulated the performing life of his surroundings by both taking over the advanced piano classes and orchestra classes and holding concerts in his home [1]. As the Russian government tightened its grip on the institute, Zarzycki found himself resisting authority. Eventually, the Russian government demanded that classes could not be taught in Polish and that only a Russian citizen could direct the institute. Zarzycki had to resign, and Rudolf Strobl took his place.

Add to Zarzycki's place in Polish history as a pedagogue his skills as a pianist, and his full musical portrait comes into focus. Zarzycki began touring as a pianist, giving his first performance of his first piano concerto in 1860 and several more that decade. Reviews praised the first concerto but cited its leaning on the concerti of Mendelssohn and Chopin. Later, Zarzycki published and performed the far more original second concerto, dedicating it to Nikolai Rubinstein [2]. Along similar lines, Zarzycki wrote pieces throughout his life for him to perform, and in spite of his technical abilities and poetic writing, his works left virtually no legacy. Of course, just because Zarzycki did not leave a significant mark on Polish music from a musicological perspective does not mean that his works have no merit. One can plainly hear that they do.

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[1] W. Muras. Koncerty Na Fortepian Aleksandra Zarzyckiego: Nowe Fakty W Świetle Źródeł. Muzyka. Q4. 2022.
[2] K. Popielska. The Artistic Profile of Aleksander Zarzycki: A Forgotten Composer of the Romantic Era. Kwartalnik Młodych Muzykologów UJ. Vol. 46. Q3. 21-37. 2020.

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