>Ludomir Różycki (1883-1953) is far from a household name even in Poland. Józef Kański, in his useful booklet notes, points out that, member of the ‘Young Poland’ group though he was (together with Szymanowski and Karowicz), his music is now barely known. He was in his lifetime a famous composer of operas, symphonic poems and chamber music, and not only in his native country. The Violin Concerto was written while he was living in Osieczany, at the end of the Second World War. It is in only two movements, but even these were left in an unfinished state: the orchestration was completed by the conductor of this recording, Zygmunt Rychert, in 2000.

The effort was surely worthwhile. Różycki reveals himself to be a composer of genuine lyrical gifts, a writer of memorable melodies and, assuming that Rychert has followed his cues, a magical orchestrator. There is both beauty and huge dramatic power in the opening Andante; the following Allegro deciso initially promises something blandly triumphalistic but quickly moves into more adventurous territory, always with a nostalgic tinge. Ewelina Nowicka, who is a composer as well as a violinist, is a truly superb soloist, with the richest of tones and a genuine lyrical gift, something underlined with what I would term an intimate complicity by the Katowice orchestra.

The remaining pieces on the album, while beautifully written and magnificently played, do not have the same emotional weight as the concerto, but they are all works that would grace the recital programme of many a violinist and are technical showcases for the performer. An excellent disc, which I really hope will spark a revival of interest in Różycki’s work.