Ludomir Różycki’s Rediscovered Violin Concerto

Polish violinist Janusz Wawrowski performs the newly rediscovered and reconstructed piece with conductor Grzegorz Nowak and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra

Violinist Janusz Wawrowski spoke directly with The Violin Channel about his own reconstruction of Różycki’s Violin Concerto.

"Ludomir Różycki’s (1883-1953) name was familiar to me for a long time before discovering his Violin Concerto," he said.

"In 1944 war-torn Warsaw, the composer started to put pen to paper and create the Violin Concerto. Alas, with the outbreak of the Warsaw Uprising, Różycki was forced to flee the capital, putting a stop to his creative workflow and leaving behind fragments of his manuscripts.

"The handwritten piano reduction of the Concerto is dated 1944 as well as the unfinished orchestration I’ve had a chance to discover. I was very lucky to come across the 87 bar manuscript of an unfinished orchestration in The University of Warsaw's Music Department Library. Further in the process, I learned that there were other trials of reconstructing the piece in the 50s or 60s, but none of them took into account the original orchestration I had found. From that point, it was clear to me that I needed to do my best to reconstruct this music in the closest possible way to Różycki’s idea. These 87 bars of the orchestration were enough to give my team the clues it needed.

"Mr. Ryszard Bryła is responsible for the reconstruction of the orchestration. My job was to polish the solo violin part.

"I made sure to get to know Różycki’s work better, and the more I learned, the stronger my conviction was that there is a chance his Violin Concerto will be an attractive addition to the violin repertoire. The music reminds me of Korngold or Gershwin’s work, in its late neo-romantic style with a touch of film music influence.

"Most of all, I wish this music brings listeners joy. Looking back at the turbulent history of our civilization and times of unrest, culture and art have always become the essential elements supporting humanity. Artists consciously use their creative power to create works that bring both hope and joy. This is the message of Różycki’s concerto, recorded on my new upcoming album, Phoenix."

Watch the trailer and the "behind the scenes" for the new Warner Classics recording here: