Karol Szymanowski

The Most Beautiful Szymanowski

Piano works occupy a special place in Szymanowski's output as a demonstration of his style and an indubitable contribution to the development of twentieth-century piano music. The piano played an important part in his life. He always composed at it and appeared as an interpreter of his own works and accompanist in performances of his own songs and works for violin and piano. The present collection contains preludes, the ''Prelude and Fugue'', studies, mazurkas, four Polish dances, the ''Romantic Waltz'', the ''Metopes'' and the ''Masques''. The works or extracts from particular cycles present an overview of Karol Szymanowski's piano output with the exception of the larger forms, such as sonata, fantasia or variations. His early compositions (preludes), full of youthful emotionalism, still remain under the influence of Chopin, Brahms or Skriabin, but are not devoid of the originality and individuality characteristic of Szymanowski's style. In the studies Op. 4 we see greater tonal expansion, more complicated structures and a wealth of interpretatitve directions. The works after 1914 bring new technical and aesthetic qualities. The studies Op. 33 are very short pieces, performed attacca and contrasting in mood, expression, texture or colour. The ''Metopes'' and the ''Masques'' derive from the same, ''impressionistic'' period; they are the only piano works which are programmatic, originating in the literary interests of the composer. New stylistic assumptions and a modern sound language can be found in the Mazurkas involving stylisation of mountain folk music, the exploitation of its melodic, rhythmic and tonal features being combined with mazurka form. The four Polish dances are characterised by simplicity of texture, clarity and conciseness of form. The ''Romantic Waltz'' is an occasional work, not typical in Szymanowski's output.