Szymanowski: Love Songs of Hafiz & Symphonies Nos. 1 & 3

Featuring

Edward Gardner
Ben Johnson
BBC Symphony Orchestra
BBC Symphony Chorus
Karol Szymanowski

Did you know?

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Critical Reception

Szymanowski's First Symphony was withdrawn by the composer after its 1909 premiere due to lack of enthusiasm, and music historians like Zofia Chylińska (a pre-eminent authority on Szymanowski) have described it as 'complicated and insincere'.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded using 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which offers a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.

Composition History

Each of the three pieces on this album had a first performance that, for various reasons, did not live up to expectations.

Composition History

The London premiere of Szymanowski's Third Symphony in 1921 was performed without any voices; the solo vocal part was played by a cello and the choral parts by an organ.

Historical Context

The text for Szymanowski's Third Symphony, 'The Song of the Night', is by the Sufi poet Jalal al-Din al-Rumi (1207-1273), a famous predecessor of Hafiz.

Performer Biography

Edward Gardner, the conductor on this album, was made an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in 2012 for his Services to Music.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Szymanowski's 'Love Songs of Hafiz' and his second-period works were influenced by his visits to North Africa, his admiration for Debussy and early Stravinsky, and his perpetual search for the exotic.