[...] Before the representatives of the Young Poland movement set about their artistic reforms, Ignacy Jan Paderewski, while staying in Normandy, decided to immerse himself in Polish national traditions. His Fantaisie polonaise in G sharp minor for piano and orchestra is based on original, but stylised melodies and rhythms characteristic of Polish dances. Soloist in this work will be Yulianna Avdeeva, winner of the 16th Chopin Competition, who is a regular guest performer at the Warsaw Philharmonic.

Our retrospective journey through Polish music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries will conclude with Krzysztof Penderecki’s ‘Christmas’ Symphony.

Bartłomiej Gembicki

The Polonaise in E flat major, preceded by the Andante spianato, is one of Chopin's few compositions for piano with orchestral accompaniment. The Polonaise was written in the years 1830–1831, while the Andante dates from 1834 or 1835. The work was published in its complete form in 1836. The Polonaise is maintained in an excellent style brillant. For all its undoubted poetic quality, it is a work of outstanding virtuosity, while the preceding Andante is of a nocturne character. Chopin performed the work with great success during his concert at the Paris Conservatoire on 26 April 1835.

Tadeusz Marek (Żakiej)