Mikolaj Zgólka; Piotr Pawlak - Chamber Works CD

The choice of pieces is purely subjective, aiming to showcase different stages of Wieniawski’s compositional development — from the youthful Allegro de Sonate, written with his brother Joseph and dedicated to Stanisław Moniuszko, to the late Fantaisie Orientaleand Gigue. (...) Wieniawski inspired his contemporaries and continues to fascinate today; his oeuvre remains atouchstone of violin mastery. With modern advances in technique, equipment, and pedagogy, his works are increas-ingly accessible. Yet, it is essential to remember the conditions under which Wieniawski functioned: performing on gut strings, constantly traveling, meeting Europe’s most influential figures, admired by some and hated by others, competing with ventriloquists and comedians, and yet encountering legends like Franz Liszt, Charles de Bériot, Richard Wagner, Karol Lipiński, and Stanisław Moniuszko. Afather, aman swayed by passions and temptations, afflicted by arthritis before his forties — agenius, virtuoso, and enduring inspiration. Mikołaj Zgółka