Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz – a hidden desire for freedom

Journal Title: Notes Muzyczny - Year 2018, Vol 1, Issue 9

Abstract

Piano concerto no. 1 (1994) by Andrzej Nikodemowicz (1925-2017) is among seven piano concertos written by the composer. Its first version is the Violin concerto created in 1973. Because of the difficult violin part, the composer remade the composition for the piano. The first performance of the Piano concerto no. 1 took place in 1998 in Lviv. While writing the piece, Andrzej Nikodemowicz was persecuted by the Soviet authorities in Lviv for his religious views, that is why the piece expresses his hidden desire for creative freedom. It remains close to expressionist tradition influenced by Scriabin and his idea of “unhindered power of artistic creation” and “apotheosis of the freedom of creative spirit” . The proof for the expressionist origin of Piano concerto no. 1 are the lack of melodic lines, significant dispersion of sound material, loosened rhythmic relationships, lack of tonal centralisation (full atonalism) and a special kind of musical material formation that places the tension layer on extremely different poles: from arhythmic, muffled, slowed, veiled and dreamlike, to a cascade of scattered tones and harmonies preferring sharp, extensive dissonances, passages which are maximally dense in terms of rhythm and divergent, leading to an explosion of drama. The shape of the piano part indicates a clear analogy to an expressionist character – alienated, contradicted and conflicted with the world, experiencing loneliness and suffering. Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz was also influenced by other 20th century composers, such as B. Bartók and I. Stravinsky (new kind of expression manifested e.g. in impulsive rhythm) and W. Lutosławski (aleatorism).<br/><br/>

Authors and Affiliations

Ewa Nidecka

Keywords

Related Articles

Music in The Architect of Ruins, a postmodern novel by Herbert Rosendorfer

Herbert Rosendorfer’s work entitled The Architect of Ruins fits in the postmodern novel trend. Its connections with culture texts include references to literary texts and music pieces. The most important references of th...

Chorał protestancki – historia, próby definicji oraz konteksty pojęcia

„Chorał protestancki” to pojęcie odnoszące się tylko do części repertuaru pieśniowego Kościoła Ewangelicko-Augsburskiego, czyli luterańskiego. Dokładne wydzielenie zakresu pieśni mieszczących się w tym pojęciu jest probl...

Polish harpsichord music in the period of 1936–2016

The article touches on Polish harpsichord pieces written between 1936 and 2016, dividing this time into three periods. The first of them is connected with the renaissance of harpsichord music, the second one focuses on t...

Wydarzenia artystyczne i naukowe (styczeń – maj 2017)

Wydarzenia artystyczne i naukowe (styczeń – maj 2017)<br/><br/>

The 17th century harpsichord keyboard in the context of works by Girolamo Frescobaldi (1583–1643) and Johann Jacob Froberger (1616–1667)

The article touches on the range and mechanism of keyboards of historical keyboard instruments, especially the harpsichord. It explains in an accessible way the basic construction principles, technical aspects and histor...

Download PDF file
  • EP ID EP517170
  • DOI 10.5604/01.3001.0012.9902
  • Views 81
  • Downloads 0

How To Cite

Ewa Nidecka (2018). Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz – a hidden desire for freedom. Notes Muzyczny, 1(9), 123-159. https://europub.co.uk./articles/-A-517170