The Symphony in B minor is an expansive work that follows the Lisztian example, unconcerned with taut symphonic structures, a characteristic also found in Paderewski's other large-scale pieces.
Recording & Production
This recording is the first made outside Poland of the complete Symphony, as it was previously often performed in a cut version.
Composition History
Paderewski's Symphony in B minor, also called Polonia, was composed between 1903 and 1908, during a sabbatical he took from concertizing to compose.
Composer Biography
Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the composer, had a career unlike any musician since Liszt, being a world-renowned pianist, a distinguished composer, and the first Prime Minister of newly independent Poland in 1919.
Compositional Technique
The finale of the Symphony subtly reworks the first two bars of the Polish national anthem, Jeszcze Polska nie zgineła, in duple metre instead of the original triple-time mazurka.
Notable Performances
Paderewski's Symphony had its public premiere in Boston on February 12, 1909, performed by the Boston Symphony Orchestra conducted by Max Fiedler.
Composition History
The title 'Polonia' for Paderewski's Symphony was likely borrowed from a series of eight 'cartoons' by Artur Grottger, whose work portrayed life under Russian occupation.
