30 Paso Robles Magazine, September 2007

‘ Pa d e rewski Reprise 2007’ set for Paso Robles Inn Ballroom By Melissa Ch a vez

i x ty-six years after his passing, the m a s t e rful works of con c e rt pianist and former Paso Roblan Ignacy Jan

Pa d e rewski will re t u rn on September 30 to Paso Robles in its second annual“Pa d e rewski Repri s e . ” C om p o s i t i ons of thel e g e n d a ry pianist and landowner who c on t ributed to the famous Zinfandel tra d i t i onin Paso Robles will be perf o rmed in the Pa s oRobles Inn Ball ro om . The Reprise willi n clude a Pa d e rewski Piano Com p e t i t i onWi n n e r s ’ R e c i t a l , a Tour of Pa d e rew s k iE x h i b i t , and a Gala Con c e rt .

Virginia Pe t e r s on , a beloved teacher andPaso Roblan, founded the first Pa d e rew s k iFestival in 1993. By 2003, the San Si m e onE a rthquake crumbled the Fl a m s onAu d i t o ri u m , leaving the Festival without ave n u e . The com mu n i ty’s St e i nw ay con c e rtg rand piano was summoned out of storage in 2006 for its first Pa d e rewski Reprise atCass Wi n e ry in Paso Robles, w h e rere n owned pianist Jonathan Pl owright per-fe c t ly echoed thes t rains of his mu s i ca lf o refather to a s t a n d-i n g - ro om - on ly c rowd .The enthusiasticre c e p t i on on ly c on f i rmed that themu s i cal heri t a g eestablished byPa d e rewski lingere din Paso Robles ass u re as its minera ls p ri n g s . So on ,another Reprise wasin the works for2 0 0 7 .

Recital winnersmade of the are a’smost prom i s i n gyoung musicians will p e rf o rm in a fre epublic perf o rm a n c ein the Ball ro om onSu n d ay from 12-2p. m . Fo ll owing thep re s e n t a t i on , a c o ll e c t i on of ra re lyseen memorabilia from private coll e c t i ons w i ll be made specially available for the Tour of Pa d e rewski Exhibit from 2-4 p. m . A ft e rw a rd , a wine tasting re c e p t i onand Gala Con c e rt will crown the eve n i n gf rom 4-6 p. m .

K rzysztof Meye r, M a rek Ze b row s k i ,Lars Hoefs , and Joel Pargman will p e rf o rm com p o s i t i ons by Pa d e rew s k i ,St o j ow s k i , and Chopin. The Reprise is ane x t e n s i on of the annual Pa d e rewski Le c t u re-Recital series organized by the Polish Music Center at USC, w h i ch hasmade available perf o rmers for the event h on o ring Pa d e rew s k i’s con t ri b u t i ons tomu s i c . Established in 1985 by Dr. Stefan and Wanda Wi l k , the Center is a pre m i e r

re s e a rch center with extensive re s o u rces formu s i c i a n s , s ch o l a r s , and purveyors of Polish mu s i c .

B o rn in Kra k ow, Po l a n d , M eyer teaches atthe Hoch s chule für Musik in Cologne,G e rm a ny. An intern a t i on a lly accom p l i s h e dc om p o s e r, p i a n i s t , music histori a n , author and lecturer of con t e m p o ra ry mu s i c , he w on numerous awards for his com p o s i -t i ons and perf o rm a n c e s . Ze b row s k i , b o rn in Po l a n d , resides in Los Angeles where he works as Pro g ram Director for the Polish Music Center at USC. A St e i nw aya rt i s t , Ze b rowski has perf o rmed and re c o rded his works and won awards for his com p o s i t i on s . An author, he also e n j oys college lecturing and con t ributing to

c omposer and pianist, Pa d e rewski wasalso a statesman and patriot whos e rved Poland as Prime Minister in

1 9 1 9 . He would be hailed as “s i n g u l a rlyre s p onsible for Poland becoming a nationa fter Wo rld War I” when his signature on the Tre a ty of Ve r s a i lles effe c t i ve lyre t u rned his native land to independ-e n c e . Ten colleges at home and abro a dwould bestow hon o ra ry doctorate degre e sover his life t i m e .

The Elvis of his time, Pa d e rewski oft e nt ra veled to his perf o rm-ances by tra i n , the tourbus of today’s standard s .Fa n s , c o lleagues andp o l i t i cal figures alikereve red Pa d e rew s k i . Anavid pianist, Pre s i d e n tH a r ry Truman studiedh i m , and Pre s i d e n t sR o o s evelt and Hoove rb e f riended him. R e -n owned con c e rt pianistVladimir Horowitz d i s p l ayed Pa d e rew s k i’ssigned photo on his wall .Also a great admirer ofPa d e rewski was yo u n g(Wladziu) Liberace whoe n d e a v o red to be incl u d e da m ong those receiving hisp e r s onal guidance.

Fame never diminishedPa d e rew s k i’s humanity; i tp a rt n e red with it. At on ec on c e rt hall perf o rm a n c e,

an eight-year-old boy escaped his mother’sa t t e n t i on to climb the stage and play“ C h o p s t i ck s ” on the grand piano. Som e on eh o ll e red to re m ove him, but Pa d e rew s k i ,rushed in to place his arms around the boyand play a counterm e l o d y. Pa d e rew s k iw h i s p e re d , “Keep on playi n g … d on’t quit.”When the duo finished, the prelude fill e dthe house with applause, and many wouldl ove Pa d e rewski as mu ch as his mu s i c .

Out of the footlights, Paso Roblansk n ew Pa d e rewski for his quieter voca t i on –“gentleman ra n ch e r. ”

His con n e c t i on with Paso Robles beganin 1913 when an Ore gon con c e rt tour washalted due to a painful bout of neuritis inhis arm and hands. Tra veling to Sa nFra n c i s c o, Pa d e rewski took the advice ofviolinist and friend Sir Henry Heym a n ,who re c ommended hot mineral baths atHotel El Paso de Robles. In Fe b ru a ry1 9 1 4 , the hotel manager, resident phys i c i a nand re a l t o r, Dr. Frank W. Sa w ye r, p ro d d e dPa d e rewski to purchase ra n chland in theAdelaida are a . Pa d e rewski is quoted asc on fe s s i n g : “His (Sa w ye r’s) attacks uponme took place when I was in the baths, i nmud up to my neck! I must add in justice,h ow eve r, that I was pro b a b ly quite a will-ing victim, for I re a lly loved the place andwas ve ry grateful besides.”

His first ra n chland acquisition in 1914would be dubbed Ra n cho San Ignacio.The first two ye a r s , Pa d e rewski beganplanting hundreds of almond tre e s , s om ewalnut and plum tre e s , Zinfandel and andB e clan grapes on a sloping 2,300-acre

distinguished publica t i on s . H o e fs , a cell i s tand com p o s e r, has taught and perf o rmed on seve ral con t i n e n t s . His works and i m p rov i s a t i ons part i c u l a rly reflect the curre n ti n t e rest in world mu s i c . Pa r g m a n , a violinistand USC T h o rn t on School of Music a l u m n u s , p e rf o rms with leading orch e s t ra sf rom Santa Barb a ra to Riverside and hasre c o rded with an impre s s i ve list of today’spopular and talented solo art i s t s .

Preceding the Pa d e rewski Reprise is a Youth Piano Com p e t i t i on at Cuesta JuniorC o ll e g e, No rth County Campus, onSeptember 21-22. The contest fe a t u res tw oage ca t e go ri e s , Junior (age 9-14) and Senior (age 15-18). Winners will be c on s i d e red for opportunities in extended

S

AFrom Poland to Paso Robl e s : Pa d e rew s k i ’s dream re t u r n s

Paderewski

September 2007, Paso Robles Magazine 31

music educa t i on , p o s s i b ly including takingp a rt in an exchange pro g ram with thePa d e rewski Center in KàÊna Dolna, Po l a n d ,also Paso Robles’ f u t u re sister city. Fu t u reevents may include the visitation ofI n t e rn a t i onal Pa d e rewski Com p e t i t i on win-ners from Byd go s zc z , Po l a n d .

Ove ra ll , the com mu n i ty may reap a harve s tof cultura l , h i s t o ri ca l , and entert a i n m e n texperiences, and educational and profes-sional o p p o rtunities such as these made pos-sible by the efforts and coopera t i on of facultymembers at both USC and Polish MusicCenter at USC.

Am ong the Polish dignitaries scheduled toattend is Maria Ka c zyn s k a , the First Lady ofthe Republic of Poland and wife of Pre s i d e n t

open-air con c e rt at the City Pa rk , s ays Repri s ea rtist Ze b row s k i . An Educa t o r’s Sh owcase w i ll foll ow, fe a t u ring piano teachers fromt h roughout the Paso Robles area and other intern a t i on a lly acclaimed mu s i c i a n s .It is hoped that the perf o rmances will e n c o u rage the public to picnic and socialize inthe heart of Pa s o, w h e re Pa d e rewski alw ayswanted to start a music sch o o l .

Paso Robles Inn Ball ro om is located at 1103 Sp ring St re e t . Ti ckets for the GalaC on c e rt are $25 per person and can be p u rchased by contacting Kris Pe n i ck at 237-0400 or kri s @ re s e rve eve n t s . You may alsoca ll the Paso Robles Chamber of Com m e rce at238-0506 or visit the Chamber at 1225 Pa rkSt reet in Paso Robles.

Le ch Ka c zyn s k i . The First Lady works withPolish and foreign ch a ritable organiza t i on s ,p romotes her country’s heritage abro a d , a n dacts as Special Env oy of the President at offi-cial functions throughout the worl d .

“The first Pa d e rewski Reprise was so wella c c e p t e d , almost eve rybody helping this ye a rwas a guest last ye a r, ” s ays St eve Cass, w i n e-maker and organize r. This ye a r’s team ofm a ny incl u d e : K ris Pe n i ck , Joel Pe t e r s on ,Ra chel Hamilton , Bob Fon a row, M i k eG i b s on , M ayor Frank Mech a m ,Councilman Gary Ne m e t h , Sa n d e eM c La u g h l i n , Pa t ri ck Sayn e, and Barb a raPa rt ri d g e .

Beginning in Fa ll 2008, the Youth Pi a n oC om p e t i t i on winners will perf o rm in an

s p read bought from Harri e tWi n t e ro ll . Its hom e s t e a d si n cluded the 40-acre Merri t tSp rings Tract that possessedone of the county’s largestp roducing mineral spri n g s .The pro p e rty extendedWNW of Paso Robles toKiler Canyon Road, n o rt hover Pe a chy Canyon Road,and across Adelaida Road.Another 320-acre parc e lf ronting Adelaida Road,was put in his wife’s name (Madame HelenaPa d e rewska) and ca ll e dRa n cho Santa Helena. H i st h i rd purch a s e, the 80-acreBaldwin pro p e rty, enabled direct access to af a v o red picnic spot at Merritt Sp ri n g s .

UC Pro fessor Fre d e ri ck Bioletti proved tobe an invaluable source for Pa d e rew s k i , w h owould cultivate approx i m a t e ly 200 Zi n f a n d e land petite Syrah grapes from Stanislaus andR i verside Counties.Tending the land with hiss t a f f, Pa d e rewski also consulted with ra n chmanager and foreman Wi lliam “D a d d y ”H e m ph i ll , who fostered deve l o pment of thea l m ond orch a rd s . T h rough hard work sup-plied by farm manager Jan “ Gu n nys a ck”G n i eziak and successful harve s t s ,Pa d e rew s k i’s Zinfandel earned a gold medalat the 1933 California State Fa i r, s o l i d i f yi n gPaso Robles’ place on the viticulture map.B u ying the land, said Pa d e rew s k i , was a pur-chase he never re g re t t e d .

In the early 1920s, d ressed in turn - o f - t h e -c e n t u ry - s tyled white vest and pinstri p e dt ro u s e r s , Pa d e rewski continued to enjoy walkst h rough the Ra n ch o s . He would find time tore l a x , attend silent pict u re shows at T & DT h e a t re with wife Helena, o ften smuggling intheir small dog, Pi n g.

M e a nw h i l e, Pa d e rewski continued to keepl i m b e r, using a practice piano in his ro om atHotel El Paso de Robles. Mutual admira-tion b e tween artist and Roblan deepened, a sdid his love for the land and burgeon i n gv i s i on for a place in which young mu s i c i a n scould thri ve .

Pa d e rew s k i’s legacy extends beyond wri t-ten accounts and even his own com p o s i t i on s ,for there was a dream he spoke of seve ral ye a r sb e f o re his passing. Sitting in the garden of hischateau at in Rion d - B o s s on , Sw i t ze rl a n d ,Pa d e rewski confided to his fri e n d , H e n ry kO p i e n s k i , a composer and author.

“In a short time, we are going to my hom ein Californ i a , ” the mae s t ro was quoted as say-i n g. “A fter I have a good re s t , I am going tos t a rt my con c e rt tour. When that is ove r, yo uand I will settle down to teach music to talent-ed ch i l d re n . ” Pa d e rewski went on to say thatt h e re would be free con c e rt tours, not fe a t u r-ing him, but the artists he would tra i n . I twould be a tra ve s ty for any ch i l d , p a rt i c u l a rlythose who were impove ri s h e d , to not re a l i zethe joy of learning to play an instru m e nt .

“Good people have helped me all my l i fe ; then why should I not help others? That is what I will do for young mu s i c i a n s , ”said Pa d e rew s k i , “and they will in turn e n ri ch the hearts and spirits of people all ove rthe worl d . ” The com p o s e r, p e rf o rm e r, a n df a rmer had faithfully spent his divinelyi n s p i red talents in the eart h . Now immort a l ,his influence would know no limit. As we c o ll e c t i ve ly tend and re a l i ze Pa d e rew s k i’sd re a m , the promise of his young beneficiari e sw i ll grow, far beyond the Paso Robles hel oved so mu ch .

Pa d e rewski re t u rned tothe stage in 1922, e n j oyi n gresounding success atC a rnegie Hall . While in NewJ e r s ey campaigning againstH i t l e r’s inv a s i on of Euro p e,Pa d e rewski developed a ch i llf o ll owing speakinge n g a g e m e n t .Fighting pn e u m o-n i a , he died inNew Yo rk tw oweeks later at age8 0 . (The bed inw h i ch he died can be viewed a l ong with other e f fects at Pi on e e r

Museum in Paso Robles.) Hisbody was buried in Arl i n g t onC e m e t e ry. Fi fty years later,f o rmer President George Bushattended his re - i n t e rment inPo l a n d . To d ay, his heart re m a i n sin Am e ri ca where it is encased ina bron ze sculpture in the Na t i on a lSh rine of Our Lady of Cze s t o ch owa nearD oyl e s t ow n , Pe n n s ylv a n i a .

Left: Ignancy Jan Paderewski converses with Polish

composer and friend Zygmunt Stojowski in Paso Robles.

Below: Paderewski examines the pro g ress of one of his almond

t rees in the orc h a rd, in 1921.

B e l o w, center: This label was affixed to commemorative bottles

of Zinfandel at the 1993 Paderewski Festival.