Contemporary Polish composer Krzysztof Meyer (b. 1943) grew up in an Eastern European musical climate dominated by nearly every mood of 20th century postmodernism. However, early on in his student years Meyer managed to study under the famous Nadia Boulanger in Paris, and her influence definitely shows up in the Piano Concerto (1988/89). The work’s formulations are peppered with very cogent phrases on the piano that, while not entirely tonal, work together to form a coherent, meaningful whole. As a composition teacher, Boulanger always emphasized the importance of structural balances and the clarity of ideas in a work, regardless of the creative temperament of the student. Thus in Meyer’s Piano Concerto nothing’s out of whack, ideas never clash. In fact, Meyer’s Piano Concerto seems almost cautious by present postmodernistic standards. The second movement, for example, is a slow, graceful meditation that gradually rises to more assertive statements by the orchestra, then descends into quietude once more.
The performances here are absolutely grand. Pavel Gililov is the pianist in the concerto and he takes to the role without ego. His touch is light, his articulation precise. Meyer’s Musica incrostata” (1988) is a single-movement symphonic work (not quite a tone poem in the traditional sense) that works at shifting harmonic systems, with the emphasis always on orchestral color. Some parts are downright eerie. Taken altogether, this is a very engaging collection of music by a little known contemporary Polish composer.
