The Polish Tradition is a lively survey of music in diverse styles for violin and piano, composed between the eighteenth and twentieth centuries. Apart from the schmaltzy arrangements by
Fritz Kreisler of
Chopin's Mazurka in A minor and
Paderewski's Melodie, the works are presented as originally written and reflect what almost seems a national preoccupation with this instrumental combination. Music for violin and piano has long been familiar to Western ears, yet these instruments also allowed composers to incorporate elements of Polish dances and folk fiddling and, to greater or lesser extents, to change the flavor of the medium. If a Classical-era composer like Józef Elsner slipped in Polish inflections in the Rondo of his Sonata in F major, it seems merely a charming affectation. However, other composers, from Adam Wronski to
Henryk Górecki, have been more forthright in using folk material; the Eastern influence has been strong and enduring, especially in such well-known forms as the polonaise and the mazurka, but in other forms as well. Violinist
Tyrone Greive and pianist
Ellen Burmeister preserve much of the energy of the dance and the rawness of Polish fiddling, and such pieces as Henryk Wieniawski's La Ménétrier and Bronislaw Przybylski's Variations on a Theme of Paganini give a clear idea of Poland's vital contribution to this literature, past and present. Albany's sound quality is clear and balanced.