Grazyna Bacewicz: Piano Concerto; Concerto for Two Pianos and Orchestra; Overture; Music for Strings, Trumpets and Percussion

One of the biggest discoveries of the long-overdue gender recalibration in classical music is the Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-’69). The four works on this superb album embrace an important era for Polish music. Her Piano Concerto of 1948 was written to mark the 100th anniversary of Chopin’s death. High energy, virtuosity, and a whiff of folk music are its chief characteristics, and Peter Jablonski gives a masterly performance. The Double Piano Concerto of 1966 is couched in a much more ‘modern’ idiom, and orchestral color is used with real flair. The Overture of 1943 crackles and fizzes while the Music for Strings, Trumpets & Percussion powers along. Terrific performances under Nicholas Collon’s sure-footed control.