Karol Szymanowski 1882–1937
Concert overture in E Major op. 12
Frédéric Chopin 1810–1849
Piano Concerto Nr. 1 in E minor op. 11
Ludwig van Beethoven 1770–1827
Symphony Nr. 7 in A Major op. 92
Alexander Gadjiev, piano
Marta Gardolińska, conductor
pre-concert talk by Klaus-Albert Bauer at 18.30hrs in the main auditorium
Young Szymanowski wrote sweeping, exhilarating music - derived from very political beliefs. When he wrote this Concert Overture in 1904/5, Poland wasn't yet a nation-state, and wouldn't become one until 1918, but new Polish national music was already taking shape. Several young Polish composers formed an artistic group circle called “Young Poland,” which Szymanowski joined. So he badly wanted this concert overture to be played at the first “Young Poland” concert in Warsaw in 1906.
Frédéric Chopin, son of a Polish mother and French father, also embraced his Polish roots, composing polonaises, mazurkas, and songs. His first piano concerto, performed by Alexander Gadjiev, winner of the Chopin Competition, evokes Polish folk music, culminating in the dance-like Krakowiak finale.
While Beethoven’s music wasn't political in nature, the premiere of his Seventh Symphony during the Wars of Liberation certainly was. “A large orchestra […] had joined forces out of patriotic zeal and heartfelt gratitude for the success of Germany’s collective efforts in the current war to perform without remuneration,” wrote a critic after the 1813 premiere in Vienna's Allgemeine Musikalische Zeitung.
