The Greek “mythos”, derived from the verb “mythestai”, means “word, story, plot”. Thucydides was the first to define a mythical – that is, unverifiable – narrative. Plato consolidated the opposition between mythoi and logoi – the truth of the logoi was supposed to be knowable and verifiable. From that moment on, it seemed that humankind’s fate was to pursue logos. Among those who, on this path, could not help but look back – toward the myth – were many composers. Violinist Jakub Staszel and pianist Yang Xu-Czaja will present their music.

Old tales about our place in the world and how we should act in our existential situation undoubtedly fascinated Richard Strauss. The German artist incorporated the story of the biblical Salome and the story of the Mycenaean princess Electra into his operatic works. He composed the Sonata  in E-flat major shortly before transforming the story of Don Juan into a symphonic poem, a myth that was introduced into literature in the 17th century and has recurred constantly in European culture ever since. While composing this chamber work, the then-young artist met soprano Pauline de Ahna, his future wife. The Fantaisie brillante op. 20 by the Polish violin legend Henryk Wieniawski, was inspired by, as Pushkin called it, the “Iliad of modern life”,  the Renaissance story of Doctor Faustus. In his 1865 composition, the virtuoso drew on motifs from Charles Gounod’s opera based on Goethe’s interpretation of the famous legend.

Mythology undoubtedly held a central place in Karol Szymanowski’s work: he was inspired by Mediterranean myths and the tales of the more familiar Podhale region. His Fountain of Arethusa comes from the collection titled Myths, and its title refers to a nymph fleeing from the god Alpheius – the girl is believed to have transformed into a stream, which the Polish artist saw while visiting Syracuse in Sicily. Various mythological sources of inspiration can be found in the works of Claude Debussy. Let us mention the last of his Three Nocturnes, The Sirens, and The Afternoon of a Faun. Between these two, the short song Beau soir was written, with lyrics by the poet Paul Bourget. During the concert, the musicians will perform it in an instrumental version prepared by Jascha Heifetz. At the end of the matinee, we will hear the last of Camille Saint-Saëns’s Six Etudes for Piano op. 52, stunningly arranged for violin and piano by Eugène Ysaÿe.