Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz – a hidden desire for freedom

Abstract

Piano concerto no. 1 (1994) by Andrzej Nikodemowicz (1925-2017) is among seven piano concertos written by the composer. Its first version is the Violin concerto created in 1973. Because of the difficult violin part, the composer remade the composition for the piano. The first performance of the Piano concerto no. 1 took place in 1998 in Lviv. While writing the piece, Andrzej Nikodemowicz was persecuted by the Soviet authorities in Lviv for his religious views, that is why the piece expresses his hidden desire for creative freedom. It remains close to expressionist tradition influenced by Scriabin and his idea of “unhindered power of artistic creation” and “apotheosis of the freedom of creative spirit” . The proof for the expressionist origin of Piano concerto no. 1 are the lack of melodic lines, significant dispersion of sound material, loosened rhythmic relationships, lack of tonal centralisation (full atonalism) and a special kind of musical material formation that places the tension layer on extremely different poles: from arhythmic, muffled, slowed, veiled and dreamlike, to a cascade of scattered tones and harmonies preferring sharp, extensive dissonances, passages which are maximally dense in terms of rhythm and divergent, leading to an explosion of drama. The shape of the piano part indicates a clear analogy to an expressionist character – alienated, contradicted and conflicted with the world, experiencing loneliness and suffering. Piano concerto no. 1 by Andrzej Nikodemowicz was also influenced by other 20th century composers, such as B. Bartók and I. Stravinsky (new kind of expression manifested e.g. in impulsive rhythm) and W. Lutosławski (aleatorism).