Polish Music
When conceiving his Polonaise for orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki used the fantasia
form, not unfamiliar to Chopin, which is based on a primary theme, which, as the
piece progresses, is being developed, transformed and subjected to several
different variations.
Richly orchestrated, it allows performers to create
colours that overlap each other while influencing the overall musical
expression. Spatiality is a very important aspect of this work as during its
world premiere the wind instruments were placed on the balcony of the Warsaw
Philharmonic's Concert Hall.
The composition could be called "the apotheosis of
a polonaise" or, as the composer prefers, "a small symphonic poem on the theme
of a polonaise".
Mieczysław Wajnberg's Polish Melodies for orchestra
(Op. 47, No. 2) were written in 1950, during the biggest persecution of
undesirable people in the Soviet Union.
Four pieces, based on Polish dances,
express the composer's longing for his Warsaw period, as though a memory of a
joyful youth.
Emil Młynarski's Symphony in F major is the second
piece in the history of Polish music, alongside Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński's
Characteristic Symphony in C minor, to feature the
popular melody of Abośmy to jacy tacy.
Artfully built,
the symphony it boasts rich orchestration and impressive use of color. It proves
that Młynarski's understanding of the technical and expressive possibilities of
an orchestra was impeccable."