Witold Maliszewski - Symphony no. 3 in C-Minor Op. 14 (Neumann)

Witold Maliszewski - Symfonia C-moll Composed around 1907 Performance: Conductor: Przemysław Neumann Orchestra: Opole Philharmonic 0:00 - Allegro non troppo 11:38 - Adagio misterioso 20:14 - Thème et variations 28:41 - Finale. Allegro giocoso Biography Witold Maliszewski (1873-1939) was born in Mohyliv-Podilskyi in what is now Ukraine. His music education began early. His mother was an exceptional pianist and taught Maliszewski until he was six years old [1]. Unfortunately, after Witold turned six, his father died, depriving his family of a breadwinner forcing his mother to turn her attention to giving lessons to earn enough money to live [2]. Maliszewski’s mother sent him to a philological school in Tbilisi [1]. There he attended a musical school run by the Imperial Music Society. He studied piano, the violin, and the viola, playing in small local chamber groups and in the orchestral school. Upon graduating in 1891, he moved to St. Petersburg where he began studying Mathematics at the Military Academy of Medicine. He graduated in 1897, but he was still passionate about music. At a crossroads, he decided to change course and pursue music exclusively. He enrolled in the St. Petersburg Conservatory in 1898 where he studied with Rimsky-Korsakov and Alexander Glazunov. At that time, he had absolutely no plans for the future [3], so it was incredibly fortunate that Rimsky-Korsakov recognized his talent and took a personal interest in directing his development as a composer [1]. Maliszewski’s composing career would be well recognized. His first triumph as a composer was his Sonata for Violin and Piano which would be his first published work [2]. The symphony in G-minor, however, would take him much further. He premiered it at the Tsar’s residence in Pavlovsk and later in Warsaw [1]. His other (particularly chamber) works would win plenty of awards. Staying in St. Petersburg for his early career would form Maliszewski in the mold of the Russian cosmopolitan artistic community [1]. In particular, it convinced him of the artistic mission given to all musicians and a responsibility to the society they wrote for [1]. Later on, however, he would shuffle around from post to post, teaching at conservatories throughout the Russian Empire. While teaching, he did not compose as much, but he still kept up with musical events in Poland. He was particularly interested in Szymanowski and Karłowicz [1]. He returned to Poland in 1921 and became a professor of the Warsaw Conservatory where he would teach titans like Witold Lutosławski. Symphony no. 3 By the time he composed this work, Glazunov’s 8th symphony had profoundly impacted Maliszewski. He wrote: “... I have meticulously studied the score and I think that [Glazunov’s 8th symphony] is the peak achievement in the field of music of our epoch [4].“ Maliszewski praised the symphony’s counterpoint, melodies, harmonies, and so on [4]. Here, of course, Maliszewski honors Glazunov in his own way, bearing his influence but not allowing it to dilute his own originality. Allegro non troppo - A standard allegro-form movement with two themes. The 1st theme is very catchy, but it begins with some interesting color thanks to the woodwinds. The theme is represented in subtle and triumphant moods. The 2nd theme is slower, but it does not get nearly as much attention as the first. Despite the standard construction, there are many unique moments that build tension including the building fugue section at 4:09, the hair-raising tremolos at 7:44 and the fascinating woodwind texture following it. Adagio misterioso - The 1st symphony’s slow movement gave way to blood-pumping adventure, and the 2nd’s echoed Rachmaninov in its lyricism. This symphony presents a dark tone-poem of sorts. It is less concerned with melody and thematic construction and more concerned with atmosphere. The counterpoint Maliszewski uses to build this atmosphere is impressive. Thème et variations: Theme: The presentation of the theme suggests a folk character. Var 1: A brief, energetic take on the theme building up to a loud conclusion. Var 2: The most stately moment in the symphony - The theme had a folk character, and this variation almost feels like an opposite. Var 3: The 2nd variation was stately, this one has that characteristic mid-romantic gravitas but with orchestration that does not depart from Rimsky-Korsakov. Var 4: A short contrast to halt the forward energy of the 3rd var and introduce Var 5. Var 5: This serves as the lyrical 2nd movement we did not get earlier. Var 6: A very fast, energetic variation that bridges the 5th variation and the finale - elements from this variation will appear in the finale. Finale. Allegro giocoso - The darkness of the first movement returns. At first exuberant, the triumphal first section melts away into slow, dissonant chords. The tense melodies in the strings carry the music back to the exuberance befitting of a finale.