Wilk Family Concert Hall // Anaheim // November 2011

Fundraising for the Second International Paderewski Piano Competition - LA

The Paderewski Music Society of Los Angeles celebrated the birthday anniversary of Ignacy Jan Paderewski with a fundraising piano concert in the beautiful, charming and warm, palatial home of Jola and Alex Wilk.  To begin the evening, the Society's Secretary, Dr. Janet Favreau, thanked the gracious Hosts for their hospitability and the gathered guests for their sustained and generous support of the 2nd International Paderewski Piano Competition - LA.

In her introductory words, Dr. Favreau added also that at the time of the event in Anaheim Hills, the sun was just rising over the plains of Podolia (former eastern Poland, today Ukraine) where in the obscure village of Kurilovka one of the greatest Poles was born exactly 151 years ago. 

The glasses went up and shortly afterward the first chords of Chopin's Barcarolle in f-sharp Major filled the room.  The genius of Wojciech Kocyan, pianist extraordinaire, charmed the audience for an hour with a choice of compositions from Paderewski's repertoire.  The song of the Venetian gondoliers was followed by works of Schubert, Liszt, Schumann, and of course Paderewski - his famous Menuet à l' Antique, a piece which for at least half a century was desired and mandatory in the repertoire of anybody who attempted to learn piano playing; a piece that was featured in the 1937 movie Moonlight Sonata, with Paderewski playing himself, and which became the subject of an urban legend, quoted as follows in Paderewski - The Story of a Modern Immortal by Charles Phillips:  "...during Paderewski's days as a teacher at the Warsaw Conservatory, he was at the home of Polish writer Swietochowski.  The writer, who was an ardent admirer of Mozart, declared that no living composer could produce music with the simplicity and beauty of Mozart's compositions. Paderewski neither agreed nor disagreed, simply shrugged his shoulders and said nothing.  The following evening, however, back again at Swietochowski's house, he sat down to the piano.  "You like Mozart" , he said to his host. "May I play you a little thing that perhaps you don't know?"  His friend listened enraptured.  When the piece was finished he thanked Paderewski and exclaimed, "Now you will perhaps agree with me!  You will acknowledge that a piece like that could never be written in our time."  "Why not?" Paderewski responded, smiling up at his host.  "That happens to be a minuet written by myself.""

The finale came in a virtuosic interpretation of one of the most admired Chopin's compositions, namely his majestic Polonaise in A-flat Major, known also as “Polonaise héroïque”.  The elated audience would not pass easily on such great opportunity of a private concert, and since the feeling was entirely reciprocal, the Artist continued with a generous amount of encores.

The elevated celebratory mood lasted long into the night, sustained by highly stylish and abundant hors d'oeuvres by Turek Catering.  More fundraising events in support of the 2nd International Paderewski Piano Competition in preparation.  Please visit the Society's Home or Donations pages for additional information; the donations are entirely tax deductible.