The album's featured composers, Karol Szymanowski, Ernst von Dohnányi, and Béla Bartók, negotiated the end of the Romantic period by integrating their Germanic schooling with newly uncovered 'local' influences.
Performer Biography
Violinist Elizabeth Chang traces her connection to the composers on this album through Carl Flesch, a violin pedagogue who taught two of her teachers and was saved from deportation by Dohnányi.
Composer Biography
Both Szymanowski and Dohnányi were influential pedagogues and educational leaders, serving as heads of the Warsaw Conservatory and the Budapest Academy, respectively.
Composer Biography
Szymanowski's interest in Greek myths, reflected in his 'Mythes: Trois poèmes', was partly personal, as his discovery of ancient Greek culture helped him come to terms with his homosexuality.
Recording & Production
This recording was made possible by the generous support of the University of Massachusetts Amherst Faculty Research/Healey Endowment Grant.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Szymanowski, like his Hungarian contemporary Béla Bartók, found his distinctive style by moving away from Germanic Romanticism, partly influenced by Debussy.
Historical Context
The early 20th century was a pivotal time in musical history, where composers encountered the limits of tonal writing and the explosive events of history simultaneously, shaping Western music.
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Beyond Horizons
Zemlinsky, A. Von: Serenade in A Major / Brahms, J.: Violin Sonata No. 3 / Schubert, F.: Fantasy, Op. 159
