Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński - Piano Concerto No. 1 in E-Minor (Ponti)

Composer: Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński
Soloist: Michael Ponti
Orchestra: Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Tadeusz Strugala
Maestoso: 0:02
Andantino: 13:35
Vivo ma non troppo: 18:18
Largamente: 24:38
Henryk Melcer-Szczawiński was a Polish composer born slightly north of Warsaw in 1869. He attended the Warsaw Conservatory and studied with Teodor Leszetycki. Not only was he a composer and a pianist, but he also took on the challenges of musical pedagogy. He was a professor at conservatories from Helsinki to Vienna.
The Work and Opinions/Analysis:
The first confusing thing about this work is the structure. The sheet music appears to be in a sectioned, single-movement form. From listening, however, this is clearly not a single-movement concerto, as it never develops material from the first section. It only ever re-uses material rarely. That said, the work was modified from its initial notation to fit the requirements of the Rubinstein competition (more on that below). It is because of this that the sheet music does not clearly denote any movements.
This concerto has a lot going for it. There are many compelling and satisfying moments that tie the concerto together. The first section (Not explicitly a movement) opens with a very satisfying theme and begins an uplifting buildup towards the development section, which highlights many virtuosic qualities. In terms of balancing virtuosity, the concerto keeps itself in check, while also delivering some tasty virtuoso transitions here and there. The fugato section, which serves as the vehicle for introducing the climax of the first section, displays a masterful patterning of voices. The climax itself is reminiscent of Lyapunov's 1st and Scriabin's piano concerto.
The other sections are, like the first, well dotted with variety and spirit. The only problem I find in the final two sections is that they dwell too briefly on their most profound ideas. The andantino theme (14:34) depicts a kind of slow, careless evening surrounded by friends. It is introduced and transformed too rapidly into a loud orchestral climax (not to say that it isn't effective). As another example, the introduction of the Largamente section which begins at (24:45) and ends abruptly at (25:26) provides one of the most dramatic passages in the entire concerto, the themes it restate were only briefly introduced earlier. I must say, however, that the finale is one of the most satisfying I've heard.
Despite all of this, this concerto is certainly worthy of the award it helped obtain. Read more about that below:
The Competition:
This concerto, in particular, was responsible for jump-starting Melcer's career. Melcer had entered the 1895 Rubinstein competition in Berlin with his Trio in G-Minor, two Morceaux Caracteristiques, and this piano concerto. The competition itself was an incredible experience for Melcer. Famous musicians from all over Europe were there for the competition. It was there that Melcer first met Scriabin.
Melcer approached the competition and was alarmed to find that the competition required a "Concertstück." His solution was rather something: "A certain difficulty arose from the clauses of Rubinstein’s records not demanding a Concerto, but an obligatory 'Concertstück.' Nonetheless it occurred to me to get a grip on it and in an immeasurably simple way: I combined the second and third parts [of the concerto] which I played continuously, not changing a single note in the composition. Finally, I renamed my concerto to 'Concertstück' for the use of the jury."
After the performances, Melcer and another competitor by the name of Duńczyk had seemingly made an impression. They sat together on the stairs waiting in great anticipation for the results of the competition: "Well, I sat on the stairs with my competitor waiting for the results of the sitting jury. This went on for some time. Finally we received a message about the results from professor Jedliczka. The first congratulations came from my fellow competitor." He was summoned up and his prize was read to him by the chairman of the Jury. He had won 5,000 franks and even more valuable prestige.
After the piano competition, the winners and laureates were invited to celebrate their achievements at the salon of a certain Wolff. Melcer recounted: "Instead of music, which we had our fill of, we filled the gathering with friendly chat, confessions, and jokes."
The franks freed him of several financial burdens, and the prestige aided him in receiving an offer for a professor position at the Helsinki Conservatory, which he took. This was the entry point for Melcer-Szczawiński into a lifelong journey through music.
"The memories of the competition, the award, and the excursion to Helsinki thus far is one of the most beautiful periods of my life. I often return to them with thoughts and feelings, tearing away from the daily, sometimes rather hard and harsh, reality." - Henryk Melcer