Czeslaw Marek: Piano Works / Marie-Catherine Girod, piano

• Audio Samples
• Album Summary
• Notes & Reviews
• Also Purchased
• Works Details

Audio Samples

Album Summary

Performer

• Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)

Composer

• Czeslaw Marek (1891 - 1985)

Notes & Reviews:

Czeslaw Marek (1891-1985) was born in southeast Poland. He studied in Vienna, Berlin and Strausborg. He ended up in Zurich after fleeing Russian troops and lived there for the rest of his life. His compositional activities ended with the Second World War and he turned his complete attention to teaching.

American Record Guide, September / October 2012
There are many marvelous pieces on these discs (and also in the orchestral works originally on Koch that Guild hasn't so far reissued) along with, it must added, a fair number of minor items that might be fairly described as superior salon music. The fine 1914 Violin Sonata, like everything here, is beautifully performed and recorded. But if I had to choose the epitome of Marek's achievement, I'd single out his vocal settings. Again and again he wrote for the voice - and instrumental accompaniments for the voice - with divine inspiration. This is apparent all through the two marvelous discs of vocal works, many of them sung by soprano Elzbieta Szmytka, who has a pure, almost childlike voice of angelic sweetness and sadness, ideal for Marek's settings of Polish folk poetry. Of these there are two enchanting 20-minute cycles, both in versions with piano and with orchestral accompaniment: Rural Scenes from 1929, and Village Songs from 1934. 'Pastorale', the second song in Rural Scenes, and 'Na Wojence Dalekiej' (The Far-Away War), the third song in Village Songs, are ravishing in their haunting loveliness: quite simply among the most beautiful vocal works in creation.

Notes & Reviews:

Recording information: St. George's Church, Bristol, England (1998).

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Also Purchased

Works Details

Marek, Czeslaw : Tryptique for piano, Op. 8

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 19 min. 33 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Marek, Czeslaw : Two Meditations for piano, Op. 10

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 6 min. sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1913

Marek, Czeslaw : Ballad for piano, Op.7

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 8 min. 57 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Marek, Czeslaw : Pieces (2) for piano, Op.4

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 6 min. 26 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Marek, Czeslaw : Twelve Variations on an Original Theme, Op. 3

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 11 min. 11 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Marek, Czeslaw : Choral for piano in D minor, Op. 11/1

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 1 min. 48 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1938

Marek, Czeslaw : Allegro for piano in D major, Op. 11/2

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 10 min. 35 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1914

Marek, Czeslaw : Echos de la jeunesse, suite for piano, Op. 9

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 14 min. 27 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1913

Marek, Czeslaw : Petite Valse for piano

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 2 min. 36 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Waltz

Marek, Czeslaw : Sarabande & Toccata for piano, Op.27

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 11 min. 37 sec.
• Period Time: Modern

Marek, Czeslaw : Jazz-Caprice for piano no 1 in G major, Op. 29/1

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 2 min. 9 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1926

Marek, Czeslaw : Jazz-Caprice for piano no 2 in A major, Op. 29/2

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 2 min. 1 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1928

Marek, Czeslaw : Jazz-Caprice for piano no 3 in D minor, Op. 29/3

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 5 min. 7 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1928

Marek, Czeslaw : Foxtrot for piano no 1 in C major, Op. 35/1

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 2 min. 3 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 11/18/1938

Marek, Czeslaw : Foxtrot for piano no 2 in G major, Op. 35/2

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 9 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 01/22/1939

Marek, Czeslaw : Dance for piano no 1 in E flat major, Op. 39/1 (Waltz)

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 2 min. 38 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Form: Waltz
• Written: 08/05/1939

Marek, Czeslaw : Dance for piano no 2 in F major, Op. 39/2 (Foxtrot)

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 9 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 08/09/1940

Marek, Czeslaw : Dance for piano no 3 in F major, Op. 39/3 (Slow fox)

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 3 min. 49 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 07/09/1941

Marek, Czeslaw : Chant varié after Chopin-Liszt, for piano

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 6 min. 47 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1935

Marek, Czeslaw : Suite for piano, Op. 40

• Performer: Marie-Catherine Girod (Piano)
• Running Time: 15 min. 14 sec.
• Period Time: Modern
• Written: 1958