The International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, organised since 1927, is one of the oldest, most valued and most widely commented events of its kind in the world. It can become a gateway to a great international career. Interpretations by artists such as Maurizio Pollini, Martha Argerich, Garrick Ohlsson, and Krystian Zimerman have become synonymous with pianistic excellence, and these artists’ interpretations of other works of music continue to set new standards. We do not yet know who will be awarded in the 19th edition of the competition. What is certain is that, in accordance with tradition, this person will perform one of Chopin’s two piano concertos. The second part of the evening will feature another masterpiece of the Romantic era, Symphony No. 3 in A minor “Scottish” by Felix Mendelssohn. The NFM Wrocław Philharmonic will play under the baton of Anna Sułkowska-Migoń.

Both of Fryderyk Chopin’s concertos are works from his youth. The F minor concerto was written at the turn of 1830, while the E minor concerto was written later in 1830. The opus numbers of these works are misleading – they reflect the order of their publication, not the order of their creation. The E minor concerto is numbered 11, and the F minor concerto 21. These are works that have much in common. Both were written in the virtuoso, brillant style, which Chopin learned while studying the compositions of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, John Field, Ignaz Moscheles, and Friederich Kalkbrenner. While the works of these composers have mostly fallen into oblivion, those by Chopin belong to the core piano repertoire. This is due not only to their technical complexity (after all, we are talking about a composer who was nineteen/twenty years old!), but also to their great melodic invention, moods evoked and emotional depth. They are also given additional colour by fanciful references to Polish folk music present in their third movements. Chopin premiered both concertos at the Grand Theatre in Warsaw in March and October 1830 – and achieved great success.

The commonly used numbering of Mendelssohn’s  Symphony No. 3 in A minor “Scottish”, is not correct either. In fact, it is the fifth and last work of this genre in the artist’s oeuvre. The publisher was at fault (as in the case of Chopin) by publishing it as the third in the sequence. It took an exceptionally long time to write. The composer began working on it in 1829, and the inspiration was a trip to Scotland, which he reported in letters to his family. He struggled with the new piece until 1831 and, in resignation, put it away in a drawer. He returned to it only in 1841 and completed it at the beginning of 1842. In March, he conducted the first performance in Leipzig. The subtitle “Scottish” stuck to the symphony, although it did not come from Mendelssohn, who left no comments on the composition. However, references to the folklore of the region and the dark nature of the music prove the appropriateness of the “Scottish” subtitle.