The Soul of Poland in Modern Times

The Soul of Poland in Modern Times: The Music of Karol Szymanowski By Leon Botstein Written for the concert The Soul of Poland in Modern Times, performed on Jan 24, 1997 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Karol Szymanowski’s life and work are bound up with the question of Polish independence and identity, and…

Slopiewnie (1928) By Thos. Callen Written for the concert The Soul of Poland in Modern Times, performed on Jan 24, 1997 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Now is the time for us to lay our foundations for the future. . . Let our music be national in its Polish characteristics but not falter…

Symphony No. 4 (“Symphony Concertante”) (1932) By Peter J. Rabinowitz, Hamilton College Written for the concert The Soul of Poland in Modern Times, performed on Jan 24, 1997 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. Szymanowski was an ecstatic composer in at least two senses. On the one hand, he wrote trance-like works aiming at…

Symphony No. 2 (1910) By Leon Botstein Written for the concert The Soul of Poland in Modern Times, performed on Jan 24, 1997 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. The Second Symphony was considered by Szymanowski one of his best works. In the context of this concert, it provides the listener with an impressive…

Symphony No. 3 (“Song of the Night”) (1916) By Adrian Corleonis, Contributor, Fanfare Written for the concert The Soul of Poland in Modern Times, performed on Jan 24, 1997 at Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. In the summer of 1914, Szymanowski returned from an extended visit to Sicily and North Africa, stopping over in…