A review on the Occasion of Conferring the Honoris Causa Doctorate of the Frederic Chopin University in Warsaw Mai 24, 2018

Professor Konstanty Andrzej KULKA

A review on the Occasion of Conferring the Honoris Causa Doctorate of the Frederic Chopin University in Warsaw

      In writing this review, or rather a handful of reflections, I avail myself of the  privilege of  being a professional partner of this extraordinary artist  for 15 years. We played together  from 1966 when Konstanty  received a very prestigious first prize  at the Munich Competition until the moment when  deceitful  fate  began to degrade the dexterity of my right hand.

       Those years  were the most attractive period in my artistic career.  Frankly, I was fascinated with Andrzej’s talent throughout the whole period of our work together.  From the moment  I heard for the first time the young, eighteen years old boy I was awed by his mastery of the violin and the natural flow of his musical narrative.  Less than a year later, his perfect rendition of Tchaikovsky’s concerto at the Competition  echoed through the whole musical community.  It is enough to quote the title of the  Süddeutsche Zeitung review: Der neue Paganini ist geboren -  A new Paganini is born.

       I had never heard such a beautiful  performance of this concerto before.  It dazzled the audience with the absolute confidence of his technique combined with amazingly spontaneous, natural interpretation free of any pose or artificiality.  It  shone with natural beauty. 

       The beginning of his artistic activity  was not based on any peregrinations in search of a master.  Actually, Professor  Stefan Herman of the Gdańsk Academy of Music was his only teacher, and he was more than able to  encase his violin talent in a perfect professional technique. Therefore, we may venture to say that  Konstanty Kulka was educated by one teacher only.  What is more, by a Polish teacher!

       However, it would be  unfair  not to mention Ludwik Gbiorczyk who taught Andrzej at the very beginning.  Against all appearances,  it is extremely important to teach correctly  the first steps in performing on any instrument; otherwise, an unfavorable influence may leave a trace which becomes  a challenge, marring some  performers throughout their whole life. However, it seems that Andrzej’s first steps in violin music were made in the best   manner possible. 

       I had a pleasure to enjoy an evening in the  company of Professor Herman who is well-known for his didactic concepts which are often quite original.  He shared with me  a few  secrets of the violin and the bow.  You will not be surprised  that I heard some of these secret solutions performed perfectly well  when Konstanty was playing.  

       It is difficult to determine to what extent the unique art of Konstanty was affected by  the fact that he  was educated by a single professor, in Poland. Frankly, I consider  almost all outstanding contemporary violinists to be the members of a single tribe  or to be  artists following a similar direction. This is naturally a simplification, as they have different talents and individualities, but nevertheless  they all  share something in common.   Only Konstanty stands apart, as a truly unique phenomenon. 

      As far as the so-called interpretation goes, Andrzej remains under the control of his talent,  as unique as he himself is.  I will not venture  to understand or to define it.  The natural power of his talent leads him to solutions which are simple and natural, to a  clear narrative without  any bizarre  detours and  something, which I do not hesitate to call the over-interpretation after the manner of Lang-Langs or other Vengerovs.  His music flows out without any disturbances and resounds with an easily noticeable imperative of perfection, based on his infallible skill. His listeners may rest assured that nothing uncomfortable will disturb  the usual flow of the piece, nor will he propose any redundant deviations. Everything is simple and natural, as if  resounding with the distant echo of the noble simplicity of the Great Arthur Rubinstein. 

       Andrzej and I played together enjoying spontaneous partnership.  I have never “accompanied” him and I would never imagine him expecting that I should “provide accompaniment” in the commonly understood sense.   For understandable reasons, I do not know how goes  his partnership with music directors or with other pianists with whom he played when I  turned  silent.  Nevertheless, for me – and I hope I can freely say “for us” - partnership was an obvious thing and we never played parallel, each to his own.  All was focused on our joint  effort to make the best of the potential recorded in the score. 

       While listening to  Konstanty Andrzej’s performances with orchestras, I have always had the same feeling of comfort which results from freedom and space and makes one confident that nothing wrong will happen and nothing will interfere with the perfectly natural narrative free from emotional or aesthetic vagaries of any kind. 

        I do not know what sort of teacher he is.  I suspect that he is passionate, free from doctrines and restrictive aesthetic preferences,  and he allows a lot of space to his students.  The opinions of his students who came to my classes on music partnership were full of authentic awe.  I suspect that the psychological aspect  of being taught by Konstanty Kulka might be  an important, additional challenge for his students.

       It was an exceptional stroke of good luck  that  his teaching career has been with two excellent Polish universities: the  Gdańsk Academy and  ours, the Fryderyk Chopin Music University.  I think that both have fully appreciated his greatness by  conferring to him their prestigious Honoris Causa Doctorates. 

       I  fully appreciate the immense  value   of Andrzej’s artistic activity in Poland.  His concerts are not limited to prestigious philharmonic societies.  You can often see notices  of his performances in smaller  centers, for audiences who, being far from “professional music-lovers”, crave for the live contact with the Great Art. He truly deserves praise  for this.

       I am utterly overjoyed that Andrzej ventured to promote (albeit slightly belatedly) the works by Karol Lipiński, a 19^th century Polish violin genius, equal to Paganini.  The unprecedented complete CD recordings of his works are not only an artistic homage to the artist, but also  proof of deep patriotism. 

       I am aware that my review is a handful of personal reflections, as promised at the beginning.  I gladly sign my name at the end and I can assure you that nothing here has been invented or distorted.  I  have tried to share – if at all possible -  whatever I know about Andrzej, his mysterious talent and its true, authentic value.

       Therefore, let me finish this text with another deeply personal reflection:  Konstanty Andrzej Kulka is a unique violinist and artist, with no predecessor and no successor.

  

Jerzy Marchwiński,

Barcelona, May  2017