The International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition is the oldest event of this type in the world and has for decades attracted great interest of music lovers. Tonight, the prize winners of this year's competition will perform in the NFM Main Hall, playing violin concertos with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic conducted by Marek Wroniszewski. The repertoire also includes compositions by Karol Szymanowski and Ludomir Różycki, who were friends.
The Nocturne and Tarantella op. 28 by Karol Szymanowski is a work that belongs to a lighter trend in the composer’s oeuvre. Originally it was intended for violin and piano. It is a pastiche of virtuoso pieces that were popular in the 19th century, stylised as Romani and Italian music. The first movement of the diptych delights with turns characteristic of Eastern music, while the tarantella – with effective spontaneity. Despite various stylistic references, the common denominator of both movements is Szymanowski’s innovative sound language. In 1937, Grzegorz Fitelberg arranged it for symphony orchestra, and it is in this version that it will be performed during the concert.
The symphonic scherzo Stańczyk by Ludomir Różycki was written in 1904, and the inspiration for its creation was a portrait of the famous royal jester by Jan Matejko. The work is characterized by a colourful instrumentation and clearly refers to the late Romantic style of the works of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. It has an important place in Różycki’s oeuvre, as it was his composing debut.
