User:GuillaumeTell/Stonebox

Roman Statkowski – [Nick Palmer from Google]

Statkowski is a largely forgotten composer. The only piece of his that sometimes (very rarely) gets performed is a set of piano Preludes (op. 37) and a Krakowiak (Cracovienne) for violin and piano. He was born in 1859, started composing quite late (initially, he trained to become a lawyer) and then practically stopped after 1904, when he embarked on a successful teaching career (among his students were composers Jan Maklakiewicz, Piotr Perkowski and Boles³aw Szabelski). Tchaikovsky was his musical idol and the Russian composer's influence is supposed to be clearly visible in Statkowski's pieces (as I say, he rarely gets performed, so I'm just repeating what I read). His most notable compositions include two operas (Filenis and Maria, both considerably successful during the composer's lifetime – the former was awarded the first prize at an international competition in London, the latter – at a national competition in Poland) and some string quartets (which the great Polish writer Jaros³aw Iwaszkiewicz referred to as masterpieces). Many of his works were lost during World War II. He died in 1925.

Maria was composed for a competition held in 1904. Entrants were requested to write an opera based on Antoni Malczewski's verse novel Maria (they had to supply their own librettos). It is considered Statkowski's best work and one of the best Polish operas written after Moniuszko. The music is said to be very dramatic and colorful, with many Ukrainian elements (the action takes places in the Ukraine). While the music is said to be wonderful, the libretto, written by Statkowski himself, was often criticized (by Jaros³aw Iwaszkiewicz, among others), and in later years attempts had been made to "repair" it. Antoni Malczewski's Maria is one of the finest Polish long poems of the 19th century, an unquestionable masterpiece and apparently Statkowski's libretto does not give it full justice. As most Polish novels in verse of its time (it was written in 1824), Malczewski's novel was strongly influenced by Byron's poems. The tale, based on real events, is one of love and murder. To make a long story short: the father who opposed his son's marriage has the bride, Maria, murdered.

20 September 2008 maciek Maria (live webcast)

The Polish Radio is offering a rare treat on Sunday evening (well, evening over here, in Warsaw): they will be airing a live concert performance of Roman Statkowski's opera Maria. As far as I know, this has never been recorded, not even in excerpts.

The broadcast begins tomorrow (Sunday, Sept. 21st), at 19:00 CEST (UTC+2) (that's roughly 2 hours from now, tomorrow). This is the opening of the season of the Witold Lutos³awski Concert Hall (Polish Radio Concert Hall S-1).

Performers: Polish Radio Choir and Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw conducted by £ukasz Borowicz, Wioletta Chodowicz – soprano, Dariusz Pietrzykowski – tenor, Artur Ruciñski – baritone, Wojciech Gierlach – bass-baritone, Krzysztof Kur, Rafa³ £ukomski.

Teresa Chylinska in Grove

He studied in Warsaw and then with Nikolay Solov'yov and [Anton] Rubinstein at the St Petersburg Conservatory, graduating in 1890. "He was influenced by Russian music, particularly that of Musorgsky, and by German music, especially Strauss's symphonic poems and Pfitzner's operas. Lyrical and richly melodic, his work represents a link between the post-Moniuszko composers and the generation of Szymanowski..... Maria is imbued with elements of Polish and Ukrainian folk music; its freshness and sincerity make it one of the best Polish operas." It was revived on five occasions in various Polish cities between 1919 and 1965.

Charles Henry Olive Daniel
The Reverend Charles Henry Olive Daniel (30 September, 1835 - 6 September, 1919) was a Fellow and later Provost of Worcester College, Oxford. He founded The Daniel Press and was instrumental in choosing William Burges to redecorate the College's chapel.

Early life
Henry Daniel was born in Wareham, Dorset, but his childhood was spent in Frome, Somerset, where his father, Alfred Daniel, was Perpetual Curate of Holy Trinity Church. At an early age, he and his brothers were introduced to the world of movable type by their father, who soon presented them with a miniature Albion press on which they learned to produce various documents.

Daniel was educated at King's College School, London, from 1852 to 1854, and won a scholarship to Worcester College, Oxford (B.A., 1858). He was a lecturer in Classics at King's College London from 1859 to 1863.

Worcester College, Oxford
In 1863, Daniel returned to Worcester College as a Fellow and Tutor. He was the College's Bursar from 1870-1903, and in the latter year became the first person to be elected Provost of the College.

John Henry Parker