ellis@spar.UUCP (Michael Ellis) (02/20/85)
Pertaining to Richard Carnes question about all-time great underappreciated and unplayed masterpieces, once upon a time I acquired a marvelous boxed set of obscure works by Poland's `2nd greatest composer' Karol Szymanowski, (pronounced "Carl Sh(i/u)manofski"), on the Polskie Zagranie label. Unfortunately, this collection has been on loan to an incomunicado college buddy for 12 years, and I don't think I'll ever see either again. Though a few of its compositions have been occasionally recorded since then, such as the `Song of the Night' released a few years back on London Digital, there is an empty spot in my heart for the `Stabat Mater', which quickly established itself as a favorite in my collection. For those who haven't heard Szymanowski's music, it is from the early 20th century, and has elements of modern and late romantic periods; at times resembling Scriabin, Stravinsky's `Firebird', Rimsky Korsakov, Florence Schmidt, and perhaps early Schoenberg. Has anybody else heard Szymanowski's `Stabat Mater', or know the whereabouts of any recording? -michael