RAUL KOCZALSKI: 24 PRELUDES OP. 65
Genre : Classical
Catalogue: Phasma-Music 120
UPC: 731093481024
recording, editing: Vadim Radishevskiy
mastering: Piotr Wieczorek
Recorded in July at the Concert Hall
of The Grażyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz Academy of Mysic in Łódź, Poland
Recordings was made on a Bosendorfer Grand Piano.
portrait of Raul Koczalski (pencil drawing): Julia Bartczak
graphic design & photography: Magda Jonczyk
production management: Iwona Glinka
Product details
01. Preludium C-dur op. 65 nr 1 / Prelude in C Major, Op. 65 No. 1
02. Preludium a-moll op. 65 nr 2 / Prelude in A Minor, Op. 65 No. 2
03. Preludium G-dur op. 65 nr 3 / Prelude in G Major, Op. 65 No. 3
04. Preludium e-mol op. 65 nr 4 / Prelude in E Minor, Op. 65 No. 4
05. Preludium D-dur op. 65 nr 5 / Prelude in D Major, Op. 65 No. 5
06. Preludium h-moll op.65 nr 6 / Prelude in B Minor, Op. 65 No. 6
07. Preludium A-dur op. 65 nr 7 / Prelude in A Major, Op. 65 No. 7
08. Preludium fis-moll op. 65 nr 8 / Prelude in F-sharp Minor, Op. 65 No. 8
09. Preludium E-dur op. 65 nr 9 / Prelude in E Major, Op. 65 No. 9
10. Preludium cis-moll op. 65 nr 10 / Prelude in C-sharp Minor, Op. 65 No.10
11. Preludium H-dur op. 65 nr 11 / Prelude in B Major, Op. 65, No. 11
12. Preludium gis-moll op.65 nr 12 / Prelude in G-sharp Minor, Op. 65, No. 12
13. Preludium Fis-dur op. 65 nr 13 / Prelude in F-sharp Major, Op. 65, No. 13
14. Preludium es-moll op. 65 nr 14 / Prelude in E-flat Minor, Op. 65, No. 14
15. Preludium Des-dur op. 65 nr 15 / Prelude in D-flat Major, Op. 65, No. 15
16. Preludium b-moll op. 65 nr 16 / Prelude in B-flat Minor, Op. 65, No. 16
17. Preludium As-dur op. 65 nr 17 / Prelude in A-flat Major, Op. 65, No. 17
18. Preludium f-moll op.65 nr 18 / Prelude in F Minor, Op. 65, No. 18
19. Preludium Es-dur op. 65 nr 19 / Prelude in E-flat Major,Op. 65, No. 19
20. Preludium c-moll op. 65 nr 20 / Prelude in C Minor, Op. 65, No. 20
21. Preludium B-dur op. 65 nr 21 / Prelude in B-flat Major, Op. 65, No. 21
22. Preludium g-moll op. 65 nr 22 / Prelude in G Minor, Op. 65, No. 22
23. Preludium F-dur op. 65 nr 23 / Prelude in F Major, Op. 65, No. 23
24. Preludium d-moll op. 65 nr 24 / Prelude in D Minor, Op. 65 No. 24
Total time: 46:00
Raul Koczalski.
Through the Looking Glass.
Raul Koczalski is a pianist of a bygone era. He has remained faithful to the ideals of Romantic pianism (...). Beyond these paraphernalia of bygone Romanticism, however, a sincere and brilliant technician always shines through, capable of engaging and dazzling [1].
Then…
A new beginning, modernist art trends, and the bloody conflicts of war. Among them – a neo-Romantic turn to the cult of the artist, symbolism, and mysticism. In the reality of the early 20th century, individualities mature. People of great spirit, citizens of the world, often struggling to find their place, with the need for creative freedom, with the ideals they so intensely desire to express. One of them is Koczalski – a figure whose colorful life path is a ready-made script for a film adaptation.
Raul Koczalski, a Polish pianist, has devoted his life to music. With the aura of a child prodigy, he made his debut at the age of just three, and this performance left a significant mark on the artist's future. On the one hand, it resulted in numerous international concerts, recognition, and honors. On the other, it left indelible, sometimes ambivalent, impressions in the minds of Polish experts. This image stuck with Koczalski for a long time, depriving him of the recognition he deserved and building a wall of indifference in the Polish musical community.
After years of an international virtuoso career, a year before the outbreak of the war, Koczalski once again gave concerts in Warsaw. The eminent composer and critic Felicjan Szopski wrote: Now Koczalski is performing again. The technical means have intensified, the tone has acquired a very noble sound, and the ability to captivate listeners, the ability to influence them relatively easily, remains—that priceless gift that some pianists cannot acquire through immense spiritual work and practice (...). Koczalski was warmly received by audiences [2].
Paradoxically, while conquering the world stages, Koczalski had to constantly strive for approval in his own country. A country where piano music – marked by Chopin's genius – created a rather one-sided image of Polish performance tradition.
Chopin served as Koczalski's point of reference in life and in his career. His interpretations were met with worldwide acclaim, while the sheer richness of his repertoire, his impressive concert programs, and his confident playing built his artistic standing. Koczalski, who received his compositional education from Henryk Jarecki and his musicological and philosophical training from the Université de Paris, also sought out the most distinguished authorities in piano performance. He studied for four years in Lviv with Karol Mikuli. It was from him that he gained his knowledge of performance and understanding of Chopin's style, which he summarized in the publication Chopin: Interpretive Guidelines. The introduction reads: Since I was for many years a student of Karol Mikuli, who had the good fortune to receive his musical education from Chopin and collected the Master's works in the best-documented and most faithful edition, I claim the right to introduce a wide audience to the Chopin tradition as it was passed on to me by my venerable master." […] I am far from anointing myself as an authority; I do not wish to impose either my performance or my interpretation – purely personal – as the only correct ones […]. If, as a result, I can ignite an even greater love and respect for Chopin among music enthusiasts, I will consider that I have done everything in my power to demonstrate my profound admiration and living gratitude to the soul of the greatest musical poet [3].
For the centenary of Fryderyk Chopin's birth, Koczalski composed a collection of miniatures, which, following the master's example, he arranged into a cycle of 24 Preludes, Op. 65, and published by Pabst in 1910. He presented excerpts or the entire collection in his recital programs, after which the works were acclaimed for their inventiveness, subtlety, and noble style [4].
Although Koczalski's compositional output encompasses over 150 diverse genres, including opera, instrumental concertos, and songs, his work remains largely unknown. He is remembered by posterity primarily as an expert of Copin’s works and the author of his first recordings for Polish Radio and the Mewa, Columbia, Muza, HMV, and Odeon companies. Koczalski's interpretation of Chopin's works should definitely be recorded on discs - as a model for future generations, wrote and musicologist from Poznań, Kazimierz Nowowiejski. (...) What is most characteristic about this artist's pianism? A rare culture of velvety touch. The absence of harsh and hard tones. Frequent use of piano and pianissimo. Elegance and refinement, sweetness and timbre of playing. A melodious legato, as if on a violin - flowing directly across the keyboard. Basking in a poetic, lunar nocturne [5].
Koczalski's artistic life was intersected by wars. The conflict of 1939, in particular, left a profound mark on the Polish artist. After performing in Europe, he settled in Germany, becoming an unwitting witness to the terrifying wave of Nazism. He survived the war under house arrest in Berlin and, despite the ban, taught clandestinely. Already in the new geopolitical reality, in 1946, he moved to Poznań, where he taught piano at the Conservatory of Music and served as president of the Society of Friends of the Chopin Institute. He gradually built his reputation in Poland through teaching, performances, recordings, and expert activities, including his role as a juror in the National Preliminary Chopin Competition in 1948. Regina Smendzianka recalled Koczalski: I was captivated by the qualities of his finger technique, his lightness and clarity at unlimited tempos (...). Furthermore, a certain elegance of playing (...) From personal contacts, I remember his kindness and warmth towards young people, his complete lack of any signs of stardom or desire to emphasize his greatness [6].
Unfortunately, Koczalski often encountered political slander. Zygmunt Latoszewski wrote in his diaries: When he arrived in Poland after the war, they tried to fight him. Fortunately, they failed – he was a brilliant artist [7]. Defending his good name and fending off unfair speculation cost him much strength. He died of a heart attack just before taking the stage at the Poznań Conservatory. He was buried at the Cemetery of Meritorious Citizens of Greater Poland and posthumously awarded the Officer's Cross of Polonia Restituta.
Now…
I present to you, Dear Listener, a fragment of Raul Koczalski's work, which reflects the composer's deeply personal relationship with the genius of Frédéric Chopin, and at the same time reveals a largely unknown side of this remarkable musician – a dreamer and introvert.
In these tiny miniatures, Koczalski has hidden images brimming with emotion and meaning. Paradoxically, we won't find a virtuoso touch here. Instead, we will touch upon a kaleidoscope of feelings, in which light and shadow, contemplation and joy, drama and hope, innocence and passion intertwine. In the Preludes, we can discern impressionistic reminiscences, a romantic Polish element, the atmosphere of the dances of the approaching interwar period, distant allusions to American music, nocturne-like whispers, and even subtle humorous riffs. For me, the eclecticism of the work is a reflection of the composer's being and a palette of everyday color. These are snapshots of life – interwoven with sweetness and bitterness, ordinariness and sophistication, and clearly marked by longing. Despite the composer's youth, the mosaic of expressed moods is colorful, saturated, and mature.
Koczalski leads us in Chopin's footsteps through meandering tonalities arranged in a sequence of fifths, sometimes yielding surprising sonic and atmospheric effects. Several of the miniatures contain intriguing, brilliantly smuggling allusions to selected Chopin preludes. In this way, Koczalski never lets us forget the model from which he draws and the intention behind composing the cycle. He holds it together with a framework in which the thought of the beginning returns in its final moments. Like a flash of memory before the inevitable universe of silence.
This album, for me – as an interpreter – represents a deeply personal statement. It is a break from safe objectivity and a journey toward a deep reservoir of thoughts, feelings, and even dreams. A melting pot of meaning, vehemence and passion, freedom—extracted from the apparent analytical nature of the composer's notation. There's no virtuosity here. There's a space that requires time to be experienced.
I envisioned this performance as a true, artistically expressive work, created based on a balance between knowledge and intuition. A journey through the composer's emotions and a mirror of Koczalski's times. A story told through shellac discs spinning on turntables in smoky salons—full of elegance and crystal memorabilia.
Then and Now…
A Hundred-Year Cycle
Snapshots of Life Hidden in Sounds…
Born from Silence and Returning to Silence.
Listen…
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska
Łódź-Dzierżązna, May 2026.
Illumination…
The release of this album was preceded, in December 2025, by a digital publication of thirteen selected miniatures entitled: Agata Górska-Kołodziejska. Selected Preludes by Raul Koczalski [8,9], which attracted the attention of Polish critics. Perhaps these reviews will encourage listeners to delve into Koczalski's forgotten legacy and the cycle of twenty-four piano Preludes:
Raul Koczalski's name has occupied a prominent place in the history of piano performance. The spiritual heir and continuator of the Chopin school was among the leading interpreters of Fryderyk Chopin's music in the first half of the 20th century. Koczalski lived during a time of still vibrant performance traditions derived directly from Chopin and participated in the process of crystallizing the performance canon of his works. This memory and oral transmission have gained a lasting form thanks to phonography. Today, we remember Koczalski through his recordings of Chopin's works, while his own compositional work has fallen almost completely into oblivion.
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska's album revives memory and highlights a lesser-known face of Koczalski. As a composer, he remains a creator who defies clear categorization. His Preludes, Op. 65, reveal a consistently developed, individual sound poetics, based on refined harmonic work and cantilena texture. Koczalski reveals a tendency to condense expression and utilize mood as his primary material. The preludes are characterized by miniature scale, diverse moods, coloristic thinking, and romantic expression.
This album demonstrates that Koczalski's work deserves greater attention and a lasting place in listeners' memories.
Ewa Sławińska-Dahlig, PhD
Fryderyk Chopin Society
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska's album deserves our close attention for at least two reasons. First, we receive a surprisingly beautiful fragment of the compositional work of Raul Koczalski, a brilliant pianist, one of the main successors in the history of recording art to Chopin's performance art, and the pianistic grandson of the composer of preludes and polonaises. While Koczalski the composer cannot be described as a revolutionary, he proves to be a largely independent artist.
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska's selection of thirteen of the 24 Preludes, Op. 65, written by the 25-year-old artist to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the great Romantic's birth, is remarkably apt. Almost the entire collection of these preludes is lyrical and reflective, and the pianist has selected and arranged the most beautiful of these miniatures in her own style, thus creating a unique, atmospheric suite.
The second reason this album is worth immersing yourself in is the performance art of Agata Górska-Kołodziejska, who is proving to be one of the most compelling Polish pianists of her generation. She is particularly sensitive to revealing the multicolored richness of the compositions' textures, their unexpected interweavings, and the most authentic piano vocals. After playing the meditative disc with Raul Koczalski's preludes interpreted by Agata Górska-Kołodziejska, seductive colors and scents will gently seep from the speakers. A musical balm for busy souls in our noisy and thoughtless world.
Prof. dr hab. Marcin Gmys
Institute of Musicology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań
The beauty of Agata Górska-Kołodziejska's music, which gives it its originality, is not apparent immediately. It contains a complexity of many elements, impossible to grasp at first with either thought or feeling. Much more concentration and time are needed to uncover the sources from which the pianist draws. Yes, the process of synthesis, though still undoubtedly incomplete, reveals the artist's maturity, capable of effortlessly, almost intuitively, selecting sounds and emotions. Fortunately, upon playing the album, one immediately feels her truly exceptional sensitivity. Agata Górska-Kołodziejska creates a musical world that captivates the listener, drawing them in ever deeper with each subsequent listening.
Ed. Piotr Bielawski
Radio Łódź, Ether Jazzu
Endnote:
:
[1] https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raul_Koczalski
[2] S. Dybowski, Raul Koczalski chopinista i kompozytor, Warszawa 1998, p. 143.
[3] R. Koczalski, Fryderyk Chopin. Wskazówki interpretacyjne, przeł. Maciej Chiżyński, Warszawa 2020, p. 39.
[4] „Kwartalnik Muzyczny”, 1911, nr 1, p. 99.
[5] S. Dybowski, op. cit., p. 173.
[6] Ibid., p. 211-212.
[7] Ibid., p. 170.
[8] https://www.phasma-music.com/label/catalogue/selected-preludes-by-raul-koczalski
[9] https://open.spotify.com/album/15uyIohJfjyR5zWEpeitqR?si=Fs4lgBd5QF6StN1APu8QRw
Dr. hab. (Associated Professor) AGATA GÓRSKA-KOŁODZIEJSKA, awarded the Order of Merit for Polish Culture, professor at the Academy of Music in Łódź, is a concert pianist and researcher at the G. and K. Bacewicz Academy of Music in Łódź.
She graduated with distinction from the Faculty of Piano, Harpsichord, and Organ at the Academy of Music in Łódź, in the piano class of Prof. Maria Korecka-Soszkowska, simultaneously obtaining a diploma in chamber music under the supervision of Prof. Krystyna Hussar-Moczulska. She also completed Postgraduate Master's Studies at the Academy of Music in Łódź, specializing in piano performance, and completed doctoral studies at her alma mater. She earned her Doctor of Musical Arts from the K. Penderecki Academy of Music in Kraków and her habilitation from the I. J. Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznań.
She serves on the juries of international competitions in Poland and abroad, including the Gyorgy Ferenczy International Chopin Piano Competition (Budapest), International Piano Competition "Warsaw Chopin" organized by the Warsaw Music Society under the patronage of the TiFC (Warsaw), the International Piano Competition for Young Talents (Tunis) and International Piano Competition of Polish Music “In the Chopin’s circle” (The Fryderyk Chopin European Artistic Centre in Sanniki).
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska won the 2nd solo prize at the International Piano Competition in Lithuania, the 3rd prize at the International Piano Competition (Helsingor – Denmark), and has received awards and distinctions for best pianist at the 9th Halina Słoniowska Vocal Competition in Duszniki-Zdrój, the 5th Halina Halska International Vocal Competition in Wrocław, the 11th Inter-University Vocal Competition "In the Circle of Slavic Vocal Music" in Katowice (2009), and many others.
She has collaborated with renowned singers – Urszula Kryger, Beata Zawadzka-Kłos, and Teresa Żylis-Gara (as part of the vocal course in Radziejowice).
Her albums include Forgotten Polish Romantic Music for Four Hands (DUX), In the Circle of Chopin's. Songs (AM Łódź), and the critically acclaimed album Women's Music. Songs (DUX). In 2019, Women's Music. Songs was named Album of the Year by the music magazine HIFI i Muzyka. All recordings have been broadcast on Polish and international radio stations (Polish Radio, HR2 Kultur). In 2021, she recorded a piano recital of Polish early romantic music by Fryderyk Chopin and Maria Szymanowska for the Warsaw Music Society. In 2025 she published the album Selected preludes of Raul Koczalski (Phasma Music).
Agata Górska-Kołodziejska is an internationally active artist. She has performed solo piano recitals in France, Czech Republic, Belgium, Bulgaria, Lithuania, Ukraine, and Tunisia. In 2022, she performed L. van Beethoven's unique Piano Concerto in E-flat major (Woo 04) with the Polish Camerata Orchestra. In 2023, during the J. Elsner Open Enlightenment Festival with Agata Kalińska and the Apertus Quartet, she gave the Polish premiere of L. Koželuch's Piano Concerto in B-flat major for four hands.
She has performed at venues such as Żelazowa Wola, Ostrogski Castle (now the NIFC), and the philharmonic halls of Łódź, Częstochowa, and Kraków, the Grand Theatre-National Opera in Warsaw, the Silesian Opera, the Wrocław Opera, and the The Fryderyk Chopin European Artistic Centre in Sanniki.
She has organized numerous music festivals: she is the originator of the Józef Elsner Open Enlightenment Music Festival in Biała (2023), the Music in the Polish Manor Festival in Dzierżązna (2012-2015), the In the Spirit of Kolberg. 200 Years
of Polish Music Festival in Tubądzin (2014), and the director of the International Virtual Piano and Chamber Music Competition named after M. Szymanowska and K. Kurpiński (2021, 2023) and the International Polish Music Competition for Children
and Youth "ESSA!" (2024, 2025, 2026).