Stanislas Niedzielski
Stanislas Niedzielski (1905–1975) was a Polish pianist, noted for his playing of Chopin. His given name is also seen as Stanislaw or Stanislaus.
Early life
[edit]He was born in Warsaw, Poland in 1905 and studied with Józef Śliwiński and Henryk Opieński in Poland,[1] and with Ignacy Jan Paderewski in Switzerland.[2] He gave his first concert in London in 1925. He played Cyril Scott's Piano Concerto No. 1 in March 1928, with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra under Sir Dan Godfrey (the source refers to him as a "teenager", but he appears to have been about 23).
Career
[edit]On 18 January 1930, in Madrid, he gave the first performance of Joaquín Turina's Contes d'Espagne, Set II, Op. 47.[3]
He toured to many countries, including frequent performances in South Africa, Mauritius, Australia[4] and New Zealand.[5]
For a performance at Birmingham Town Hall around 1950 he brought his own piano in a box trailer towed behind his car.
Niedzielski is not well known today, but he had a commanding technique as shown in his own paraphrase on Johann Strauss II's A Thousand and One Nights Waltz, Op. 346, recorded in London in 1930.[1]
His recordings are now rare (some have been reissued on CD in recent years):
- Chopin: Ballade, Scherzo, Polonaise, Impromptu, Mazurkas[6]
- Chopin: Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor; nine études[7]
- Chopin: Mazurkas (selection; 1931)[8]
- Liszt: Liebestraum No. 2[9]
- Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 11 in A
- Ludomir Różycki: Légende[10]
- Schumann: Symphonic Studies, Op. 13
- Johann Strauss II arr. Niedzielski: A Thousand and One Nights, Op. 346[11]
- pieces by Claude Debussy, Federico Mompou and others.
Personal life
[edit]He settled in Paris, dying there in 1975 of a tropical disease contracted during an African tour.[1]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Naxos: Johann Strauss II Paraphrases and Piano Transcriptions
- ^ Ignacy Jan Paderewski – biography
- ^ Naxos: Joaquin Turina
- ^ Materials In The National Library Of AustraliaOn Poles In Australia
- ^ An Encyclopedia of New Zealand 1966
- ^ Ars Antiqua: Mikrokosmos
- ^ Books & Collectibles
- ^ Mazurka Project
- ^ Gramophone Shop Encyclopedia of Recorded Music
- ^ Vintage Record Shoppe
- ^ apr recordings