ROMAN PALESTER, Concertino for piano
Clare made the world premiere recording of Roman Palester's Concertino for piano with the Sinfonia Iuventus and Łukasz Borowicz in Warsaw in July 2019. She is the first pianist to perform the work since Palester himself and is grateful to the staff at the Warsaw University Library for unearthing the score from their archives!
Born in Śniatyń, Poland, in 1907, Palester studied at the Warsaw Conservatory and, by the late 1940s, was widely regarded as one of Poland's greatest living composers. In 1949, he made the decision to emigrate from Poland and his refusal to accept the principles of Socialist Realism led to his name and music being expunged from official records. Though he continued to compose abroad, it was not until the late 1970s that the ban on his music in Poland was lifted. The Concertino for piano appears on this disc alongside concertos for flute, saxophone and harpsichord that have also recently been revived.
The disc has been produced by Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne and is available on their website. In 2021 it was shortlisted for the 'Album of the Year: Concert Music' at the Fryderyk Festiwal awards.Gallery
