Szymanowski's 'impressionist' period works, like Métopes, incorporate techniques such as motivic arpeggios in pentatonic mode, parallel seconds and fourths, and 'pianistic bitonality' from the tension between black and white keys.
Composition History
Szymanowski's Masques, Op. 34, was written in the same year as his Third Symphony and First Violin Concerto, both considered masterpieces.
Performer Biography
The pianist on this recording, Roland Pöntinen, made his debut in 1981 with the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra and has performed with major orchestras worldwide.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Szymanowski's compositional style evolved through three periods: romantic (influenced by Wagner and Richard Strauss), impressionist (influenced by Debussy, Ravel, and Scriabin), and a 'Polish' period focusing on national folklore.
Composer Biography
Karol Szymanowski, the composer, was born in Ukraine and was the first Polish composer since Chopin to significantly impact the European musical scene.
Composer's Artistic Vision
In his later period, Szymanowski sought to create music that was 'national in its Polish characteristics' but also strove 'to attain universality,' rejecting a provincial approach.
Composer Biography
Szymanowski's piano teacher was his uncle, Gustav Neuhaus, who was the father of Heinrich Neuhaus, a key figure in the Russian piano school and teacher to famous pianists like Sviatoslav Richter and Emil Gilels.
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