Organised since 1927, the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition is one of the oldest, most esteemed and most widely discussed musical competitions in the world. It can become a gateway to a distinguished international career. Interpretations by artists such as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, and Krystian Zimerman have become synonymous with pianistic excellence, and their reading of musical works has set new standards. The winner of the 19th edition is Eric Lu. The Warsaw competition elevates not only its 1st-prize winners to international fame. At the NFM, during the first two concerts being the result of the recent events in Warsaw, Kevin Chen, winner of the second prize, will appear.

The first part of the evening will feature a masterpiece of the Romantic era – Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 3 in A minor “Scottish”. The number three is misleading. In fact, it is the fifth and final composition of this genre in the artist’s oeuvre. Number three was the publisher’s mistake. The symphony took an exceptionally long time to write. Mendelssohn began work on it in 1829, inspired by a trip to Scotland, as he reported in letters to his family. He struggled with the new work until 1831 and, in resignation, put it away. He returned to it only in 1841 and completed it early the following year. In March, he conducted the premiere in Leipzig. The symphony acquired the subtitle “Scottish”, even though the nickname was not given by Mendelssohn, who left no commentary on it. However, the allusions to the folklore of the region, combined with the dark nature of the music, make this name a particularly apt description of the composition. The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will perform it under the baton of Anna Sułkowska-Migoń.

Both concertos by Fryderyk Chopin are works from his youth. The Concerto in F minor was composed at the turn of 1830, while the Concerto in E minor was written in 1830. The opus numbers are misleading here too – they reflect the order of their publication, not their composition. The E minor Concerto, which will be performed at the NFM, is opus 11, and the F minor Concerto – 21. These are works that have much in common. Both were written in the virtuosic, radiant, and melodious brillant style, which Chopin learned studying the compositions of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, John Field, Ignaz Moscheles, and Friederich Kalkbrenner. While these composers’ works have fallen into oblivion, Chopin’s shine in the core repertoire for piano. This is due not only to their technical sophistication (all this from a composer of 19 and 20 years of age!) but also to their great melodic inventiveness, atmospheric quality and emotional depth. The references to Polish folk music, present in the third movements, add colour and charm. Chopin premiered both concertos at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw in March and October 1830 – to enormous success.