Constanze Muller tells the fascinating story of Krzystof Penderecki's Piano Concerto in the CD liner of this new Hanssler CD from Polish Radio. It's something of a soap opera, and as happens so often in that genre, a similar story has played out many times before.
The reaction to the premiere of the work that Penderecki wrote in response to the events of September 11, 2001 began a critical and polemic firestorm that took years to subside. Once the darling of the avant-garde, the composer was criticized in the strongest terms for bringing back Social Realism to the music of Eastern Europe. True believers so often see as a sell-out the artist with a career longer than a couple of years and any kind of growth and development. Villa-Lobos was skewered by modernists in Brazil for moving to a more accessible and populist style. Many of Bob Dylan's fans were scandalized by his use of electric guitars. Some of this is perhaps just hipsterism: "I liked Penderecki better when he was remembering the Hiroshima victims in his 1960 Threnody. Much more authentic!"
There is a whiff of banality in the Piano Concerto, if one takes it all at face value. But surely Shostakovich has shown that every large-scale work with a political subtext can not be judged only by the obvious outer layer. That the work has a number of layers is clear after a couple of listens.
This recording, with pianist Florian Uhlig and Lukasz Borowicz conducting the Polish RSO, came out only months after the early 2013 release of a very well-received Naxos CD that features pianist Barry Douglas, who premiered the 2007 version of the Piano Concerto. That CD included a second work, the Flute Concerto. At less than 38 minutes, the Hanssler disc gives short measure. As well-played and well-recorded as the new disc is, I would opt for the Naxos disc, and save some money in the bargain.
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