Violin Concerto No 1 & No 2

Karol Syzmanowski was born in the Ukraine into a wealthy artistic family. Following the Russian Revolution the family returned to their native Poland, where Syzmanowski found inspiration in the indigenous music. His lyrical Violin Concerto No. 1 was dedicated to his great friend, the violinist Pavel Kochański, and is remarkable for its clarity of texture. Inspired by Kochański's visit to Poland in 1932, the Violin Concerto No. 2 was written towards the end of Syzmanowski's creative life. The two musicians worked together on the score, which shows influences of the music of the Polish mountain people. The intense and virtuosic Nocturne and Tarantella draws on the Impressionism of Debussy and early Stravinsky but also on Middle Eastern culture and folklore.