Karol Szymanowski, the composer, was born into a privileged artistic family in Tymoszówka, Ukraine, which was then part of the Russian Empire.
Composer Biography
Despite devoted friends, Szymanowski died near-destitute and alone, with Arthur Rubinstein lamenting the Polish government's meanness towards him during his life.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in Potton Hall, Suffolk, in July 2008, with David Hinitt as the recording engineer and Andrew Keener as the recording producer.
Composer Biography
Szymanowski's family estate was swept away by the 1917 Revolution, leading to a transitional period where he traveled widely, including to England, the USA, and Cuba.
Composer Biography
Szymanowski suffered from a slight limp due to a childhood accident and was in mourning for his recently deceased father, Stanislaw Korwin-Szymanowski, when Arthur Rubinstein first met him.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Szymanowski's early music was influenced by Chopin, Scriabin, Wagner, and Reger, but he consciously sought to break free from their complexity into a more exotic and idiosyncratic musical language.
Composer Biography
After 1913, Szymanowski's interest in Germanic musical tradition evaporated, and he increasingly drew inspiration from Persian Sufi sources and French musical Impressionism.
