Complete Works
for Violin and Piano
Sara Dragan violin
Kenny Broberg piano
Pianists revere Leopold Godowsky for his nearly impossible keyboard feats, yet few listeners are aware of the graceful, searching music he composed for violin and piano.
Marking the 155th anniversary of his birth, this album uncovers that hidden treasure of music whose silken melodies and daring harmonies carry an unmistakable echo of his fellow Pole and lifelong inspiration, Frédéric Chopin.
Explore the fascinating life of Leopold Godowsky, a renowned musician born in 1870 near Vilnius, in the small village of Žośle, to a Polish Jewish family living on Polish territory under Russian rule (now Lithuania). His life ended on 21 November 1938 in the vibrant city of New York. Godowsky stands as one of the leading piano virtuosos of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, his performances admired by luminaries such as Sergei Rachmaninoff, Edvard Grieg, Pyotr Tchaikovsky, and Ignacy Jan Paderewski. From 1908 to 1914, he served as a professor at Vienna’s Akademie der Tonkunst, earning the highest salary of any piano teacher in Europe. His technique was so renowned that, upon arriving in the United States, his hands were insured for an astonishing $1 million. He was also the first pianist to perform a solo recital on the prestigious stage of Carnegie Hall in New York.
Despite relentless touring across Europe and the United States, Godowsky remained deeply committed to composition. He left an enduring legacy with his fifty-three transcriptions of Chopin’s études – works many still consider virtually unsurpassable, alongside graceful salon pieces. Remarkably, Godowsky’s musical journey began not on the piano but with the violin, guided by a mentor who despised the piano and thus encouraged the young artist’s secret pursuit of it. A genius in his own right, he embodied the spirit of Polish music, especially in his flawless interpretations of Chopin. His concert tours fulfilled a lifelong wanderlust, taking him to cultural landmarks worldwide and connecting him with eminent figures in culture, science, and politics – experiences that enriched both his life and his music. At the core of his body of work is the Viennese waltz, a form close to his heart and featured in lavish cycles composed in triple metre, most notably Walzermasken and Triakontameron.
Composed for the legendary Fritz Kreisler, the larger-scale works, miniatures and poetic waltzes heard here are not piano showpieces with a violin grafted on; they are fresh, intimate re-imaginings that fuse Chopinesque lyricism with late-Romantic colour. The result is music as welcoming to newcomers as it is rewarding to connoisseurs. The programme also features a world première: Kenny Broberg’s new duo version of Ein Dämmerungsbild – the first time this evocative piano piece has been performed through strings. Its inclusion completes Godowsky’s entire chamber repertoire for these forces on disc. Performers Sara Dragan and Kenny Broberg embody the composer’s own journey from Old World to New. Dragan, a rising star of the Polish violin school, connects to Godowsky’s Eastern-European roots; Broberg, an American pianist trained by Abbey Simon – himself a pupil of Godowsky – provides a living link to the master’s tradition. Their partnership unites continents and generations, infusing every bar with authenticity, finesse, and fresh discovery.
In a repertoire full of the familiar, Godowsky Timeless offers something rare: late-Romantic eloquence that feels both newly discovered and immediately captivating. Enter this “secret” corner of the canon and hear how brilliantly Godowsky’s voice still resonates today
Sara Dragan is a 26-year-old, multi-award-winning concert violinist, regarded as one of the most outstanding artists of the young generation. She began studying violin at the age of seven under the guidance of her parents, Konrad and Alicja Dragan. She is a protégé of the legendary Prof. Zakhar Bron and also works under the direction of Salvatore Accardo at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona.
She studied at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid and at the Karol Lipiński Academy of Music in Wrocław. She is a scholarship holder of the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage.
Sara performs on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, on loan from Florian Leonhard Fine Violins. In 2024, she won First Prize at the International Princess Astrid Competition in Trondheim, Norway. She is a laureate of over 60 first prizes at prestigious competitions across Europe, Asia, and the United States - including the Oistrakh Competition, the Novosibirsk International Competition, the Telemann Competition, and the Lipiński and Wieniawski Competition. She has appeared in the world’s most renowned concert halls, including the Berlin Philharmonie, Carnegie Hall in New York, Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Konzerthaus Berlin, Rachmaninov Concert Hall in Moscow, and the Royal Castle in Warsaw.
Sara has collaborated with internationally acclaimed orchestras such as the National Forum of Music Orchestra in Wrocław, Wrocław Philharmonic, Silesian Philharmonic, Prague Symphony Orchestra, Zurich Chamber Philharmonic, Trondheim Symphony Orchestra, Presidential Symphony Orchestra (Turkey), Hanoi Philharmonic Orchestra, Armenian State Symphony Orchestra, Kazakh State Symphony Orchestra, among many others, performing throughout Europe, North America, and Asia.
In 2022, she embarked on her “USA Tour 2022,” giving 30 performances of violin concertos by Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Henryk Wieniawski under the baton of Maestro Wojciech Rodek, together with the Henryk Wieniawski Philharmonic Orchestra of Lublin.
Throughout her career, she has appeared at numerous prestigious festivals, including the Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival, Interlaken Classics, the Henryk Wieniawski Festival, and the “Emanations” Festival at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music.
„Sara is a very gifted violinist who possesses impeccable technique and impressive musicality.”Maxim Vengerov, 2025
„Sara Dragan is a talent that emerges only once in many years — a charismatic artist who inspires her fellow musicians and captivates audiences with grace and emotion.”Maestro Marek Pijarowski, 2021
Started piano lessons at age six, motivated by his Italian grandfather’s love of classical music. His teachers include Joseph Zins, Nancy Weems, and Stanislav Ioudenitch, and he also took lessons with Abbey Simon, a student of Godowsky.
He is a prize winner of the Cliburn and Tchaikovsky competitions, among others. Also dedicated to teaching, he has served as Artist-in-Residence at the University of Indianapolis and as Deputy Professor at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid.
Broberg has performed internationally with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic, Minnesota, Indianapolis, and Sydney Symphonies.
His recordings include sonatas by Nikolai Medtner, Sergei Rachmaninov, and Alexander Scriabin on the Steinway & Sons label.