Roman Statkowski (24 December 1859 – 12 November 1925) was a Polish composer, most notable for his and chamber music.
Early life
Statkowski was born in
Szczypiorno, near
Kalisz, and initially trained as a lawyer. When he deserted the law for a musical career, he studied with Władysław Żeleński in
Warsaw and then at the Saint Petersburg Conservatory with Nikolai Soloviev and
Anton Rubinstein, graduating at the age of 31 in 1890.
Musical influences
His musical influences were mainly
, specifically Mussorgsky and Tchaikovsky, but he was also attracted to German music such as the
Symphonic poem of
Richard Strauss and the operas of
Hans Pfitzner. His work has been described as linking the post-Moniuszko composers and the generation of Szymanowski.
[Holden, Amanda, (ed.) (1993). Article by Zofia Chechlinska, pp.1007-8.]
Operas
Statkowski's two operas were
Philaenis (or
Filenis) (1897, first performed in 1904) and
Maria (1903-4, first performed in 1906). The latter is based on a novel of the same name by Antoni Malczewski. It has achieved some popularity in its native country and has been performed in various Polish cities between 1919 and 1965. It was staged by Wexford Festival Opera in late 2011.
Other compositions
These include a set of piano Preludes (op. 37) and a
Krakowiak for violin and piano,
[ Fantastical melancholy of the musical wren] as well as six
string quartets and a number of songs.
Later life
In 1909, Statkowski was appointed to succeed Zygmunt Noskowski as professor of composition at the Warsaw Conservatory.
[Blom (1971), pp.660-61.] His pupils there included
Jan Maklakiewicz,
Piotr Perkowski, Apolinary Szeluto, Boleslaw Szabelski and
Victor Young. He died in Warsaw in 1925.
Discography
-
2005 : Piano Works vol. 1 - Acte Préalable AP0126 [2]
-
2008 : Piano Works vol. 2 - Acte Préalable AP0176 [3]
External links
