Karol Lipinski: - Violin Concerto No1 Rondo alla Polacca Op.13 in E-major for orchestra / No. 3 in E minor, Op. 24

Karol Lipiński 

Karol Lipiński. Portrait by Maksymilian Fajans.

 

(30 October 1790 – 16 December 1861)

  Polish music composer and virtuoso violinist active during the partitions of Poland.

He may be regarded as the father of the Polish violin school, which is different from the Italian or French-Belgian ones. The Karol Lipiński University of Music in Wrocław, Poland is named after him.

  Violin Concerto No1 Rondo alla Polacca Op.13 in E-major

for orchestra  

Albrecht Laurent Breuninger - violin

Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and Wojciech Rajski - conductor

Violin Concerto No. 3 in E minor, Op. 24

Performers: Laurent Albrecht Breuninger (violin), Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra,

Wojciech Rajski (conductor)

In 1817 Lipiński went to Italy in the hope of hearing Niccolò Paganini. The two met in Milan, met daily to play, and even performed two concerts together in April 1818, which added immensely to Lipiński's reputation. Paganini dedicated his Burlesque Variations on "La Carnaval de Venise", Op. 10 for unaccompanied violin to Lipiński. Later, in 1827, Lipiński returned the honour by dedicating his "Three Caprices for Violin" to Paganini.
In 1820 he travelled to Berlin where he met Louis Spohr, and to Russia. In 1829 he went to Warsaw, and played a series of concerts with Paganini. However, a rivalry developed between Lipiński and Paganini which destroyed their friendship. Thereafter, whenever Paganini was asked who the greatest violinist was, he would say "I don't know who the greatest is, but Lipiński is certainly the second greatest".

Among his works are the four violin concertos, as well as studies, polonaises, rondos, variations, capriccios. He wrote three symphonies. Lipiński created his own performance style. A deep musical culture, technical perfection, immaculately pure intonation, perfect interpretation, and above all a magnificent, mellow tone combined to form the Polish artist’s individual playing style.
He was the owner of two violins, one made in 1715 by Antonio Stradivari and another by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù. Both instruments are referred to as "ex-Lipinski".

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From his early childhood, he revealed his outstanding musical skills. He has been learning the violin from the age of five - initially from father Feliks (1765-1847) - bandmaster of the orchestra in the Potocki estate in Radzyń Podlaski.
In 1829, during the coronation ceremonies of Nicholas I, which also Paganini came to, both artists gave concerts, causing in the Warsaw press a hot polemic about the superiority of their playing. After returning from Warsaw, Lipiński gave up his concerts and devoted himself to composing. In 1834 he began performing with a new repertoire in Warsaw and Poznań, and in 1835 he went on a one and half year artistic journey to the West.
He worked with Richard Wagner, he was friends with Robert Schumann. His last works were created in Dresden. Here he also developed his pedagogical activity by educating many violinists and taking care of young talents (Henryk Wieniawski).