Hubert Rutkowski's latest achievement was the Grand Prix  at 3rd Acte Préalable Recording Project Competiton in Warsaw. He is going to record a CD with piano works of the best friend and student of Frederic Chopin – JULIAN FONTANA. It will be the World’s Premiere Recording.

Julian  Fontana (1810-1869) was a multi-talented individual.

He was a pianist, composer, piano teacher, trained lawyer, journalist, author and a businessman. A native of Cracow, Poland, he was proficient in Polish, French, Spanish, English and possibly German and Italian. He used many of his talents in Europe and America in the publication of his own music and the music of his close friend Frederick Chopin. After Chopin's death in 1849, Fontana was chosen by the Chopin family for the posthumous publication of Chopin’s previously unpublished manuscripts. Fontana labored over this task for almost ten years. He refused compensation for this effort and considered it “ a labor of love”. His efforts culminated in the publication of Chopin's Oeuvres Posthumes, ops. 66-73 in 1855 and Chopin's Songs, op. 74 in 1859.

Julian Fontana was the close friend of Frederic Chopin. 

J. Fontana and F. Chopin met themselves when they commenced study at the Warsaw Lyceum in 1823. In 1827 F. Chopin terminated his studies at the Warsaw Lyceum. During his three years of study he was a close friend of J. Fontana. Then J. Fontana participated in the Polish November Uprising in 1830-1831 against Russia. At that time F. Chopin traveled abroad and took up residence in Paris.  After the failure of the November Uprising in 1832 Fontana emigrated to Paris and rebuilt his friendship with Chopin. The especial intimacy connected their in 1839-1844. The most of kept Chopin's letters addressed to Fontana comes from that period. (There is 56 Chopin's letters to Fontana). 

Julian Fontana was the pupil of Frederic Chopin.

During the Paris-period Julian Fontana become the student of F. Chopin what Prof. Jan Ekier accentuates in his article "Julian Fontana as the Editor of Chopin Posthumous Works" (Chopin Studies 7, F. Chopin Society, Warsaw 2000). Prof. Jan Ekier presents and analyses this musician, publisher, Chopin’s contemporary and friend when both were in their teens. Fontana’s edition of Chopin’s works never published in the composer’s lifetime, finished in a large degree and prepared for publication by him, created a canon which for many years had defined the approach to the great composer’s legacy. Prof. Ekier identifies three areas - editorial, performing, scientific - of the canon’s impact. Keenly interested in the editorial aspect, the author critically analyses the circumstances leading to the strengthening of the canon and the way it functioned. In the J. Ch. Wessel Edition of Chopin piano works op. 1, 3, 5, 10, 11 is written: "Chopin works edited by pupil of Chopin, J. Fontana".   

Julian Fontana piano works  have a lot of completely new elements, which do not exist in F. Chopin pieces. J. Fontana created his own orginal music dialect. For example "La Havanne"    op.10 includes a lot of spanish and american motives. A very known motive, "La Jota Aragonesa",  J. Fontana used as a first composer in 1845. Ferenc Liszt also used this spanish motive just 18 years later in 1863 in the “Rapsodie espagnol”. Probably F. Liszt copied motiv "La Jota Aragonesa" from “La Havanne” op. 10 by J. Fontana (Prof. Jan Ekier’s hipothese). Julian Fontana as a first composer used the motive of cubanian negro songs and mexican songs. He added the programmatic titles to his compositions, for example: Souvenirs de l'Ile de Cuba, Une Nuit des tropiques, Le lever du soleil, Souvenir de Weber and others. J. Fontana composed 12 Reveries (Etudes-Preludes) au piano op. 8. This is a refined music which includes R. Schumann and F. Schubert elements.
More infomations about Julian Fontana on the website:  www.julianfontana.com  which was made by J. Fontana’s great-great-grandson – Mr. Bill Rodriguez from the USA.

· RECITAL:

1. Julian Fontana - main part of the piano recital. Selected piano works, among others:
         - Premiere Fantasie Brillante sur des motifs de lade la Somnambule de Bellini, op. 14,
         - "Marche funebre" - caprice op. 1 no. 1,
         - "L’inquietude" - caprice op. 1 no. 2,
         - Douze Reveries (Etudes-Preludes) Liv.1, op. 8,
         - Douze Reveries (Etudes-Preludes) Liv.2, op. 8,
         - Trois Mazourkas op. 21,
         - "A la Mazurka",
         - Elegie op. 7,
         - "La Havanne", fantasie sur des motifs Americains Espagnols, op.10

2. Frederic Chopin -  selected piano works, among others:
         - Polonaise in A major op. 40 no. 1, "Military", dedicated to J. Fontana, 
         - Polonaise in c minor op. 40 no 2, dedicated to J. Fontana,
         - selected Chopin's posthumous works, (Fontana Edition)

3. Louis Moreau Gottschalk  - american composer, friend of  J. Fontana.
Selected piano works:
        - "La Jota Aragonesa" - Caprice Espagnol,
        - "Le Bananier" - Chanson Negre,
        - "Souvenir de la Havanne" - Grand Caprice de Concert,
        - "La Gitanella" - Caprice Caracteristique, op. 35, dedicated to J. Fontana.

4. Nicolas Ruiz Espadero - cuban composer, friend and student of  J. Fontana.
         - "Cantilene" op. 19, dedicated to J. Fontana. 

5. Manuel Saumell - cuban composer.
         - "Ayes del alma"- contredanse, dedicated to J. Fontana.

· DECLAMATIONS:

       - letters from Chopin to Fontana, Fontana to Chopin, Gottschalk and Espadero. 
       - poetry by Adam Mickiewicz (the national poet laureate of Poland and close friend to 
         Fontana).