Szymanowski - a shining light from the shadow of Chopin

By James Chater 

This weekend, as well as a performance of Bach’s St John Passion with the Bournemouth Symphony Chorus in the wonderful Bath Abbey, Southern Sinfonia are extremely excited to be performing Rossini and Syzmanowski’s settings of the ‘Stabat Mater’ with the Exeter Festival Chorus in Exeter Cathedral. Szymanowski is one of a few shining lights of Polish composers from the late 19^th and 20^th centuries. The other is Lutoslawski, whose centenary was celebrated last year, albeit slightly overshadowed by Verdi, Wagner and Britten. What is it about Szymanowski that made him stand out from the preceding 60 years of Polish music and composers?

If you were put on the spot and asked to name the first Polish composer you could think of, I bet that name would be Chopin. A pianistic giant of the early 19^th century (and so celebrated in his home country today that Warsaw’s International Airport is named after him), he became prolific for, well…being different to Beethoven. He wrote almost exclusively for the piano, and it is by comparing the piano works of Chopin and Beethoven that one sees clearly the polarity in compositional style.  Take the final, apocalyptic piano sonatas by Beethoven and then the serenely melodic Nocturnes by Chopin, the first of which was written only 3 years after Beethoven’s death; they are both Romantic in essence, yet of unquestionable difference. On top of this, Chopin was the first major proponent of the Polish-originating forms of the Mazurka and Polonaise. So why is it that Chopin didn’t ignite a rich heritage of Polish composers that reached the same level of recognition as him?

Well, it isn’t that he didn’t. It’s just that many of his Polish contemporaries held strictly conservative musical tastes, and in the socially and artistically progressive climate of the Romantic era being musically conservative was not the way to ensure European fame. It is wryly ironic then, that Chopin, famed for escaping the “shadow of Beethoven”, as Brahms once put it, created a type of shadow of his own for his compatriots to battle with. The latter half of the 19^th century is a relatively barren time in Polish musical culture, perhaps in part due to the political circumstances in which Poland found itself. It was not an independent state until 1918, and composers had to battle with this, as well as the might of Chopin, in their search for a truly contemporary Polish identity within their music.

Karol Szymanowski was born in 1882 in what is now Ukraine, but was educated at the Warsaw Conservatory. His early works are very much rooted in the Late Romantic tradition, influenced by the likes of Wagner and Scriabin. In fact, it is his early works that are some of his most enduringly popular, the Op.1 Preludes and the Op.4 Etudes, to be exact. Think the expanse of Rachmaninoff crossed with the harmonic experimentation of Scriabin; a wonderful concoction. However, it is the more mature works of Szymanowski which really dust the shadow of Chopin from his shoulders, as he develops a truly individual Polish style. It was in 1918 that Poland finally gained independent sovereignty, and perhaps it is that sense of his nation’s unity that spurred him to produce more nationalistic works. These were nationalistic in the celebratory sense, not the imposing one, and his Stabat Mater, written between 1925-26, is very much of this ilk. 

The most immediate characteristic of this work is the use of the Polish language throughout. Combined with the use of Polish folk melodies and rhythms, it is hugely effective, and that only emphasises its individuality. In terms of chronology, this piece was written when Szymanowski had begun to move more towards atonal harmony, and therefore the music has an unnerving quality to it – apt, when one considers the nature of the text. However, do not be mistaken into thinking this is esoteric music; it is challenging yet immediately beautiful. The opening epitomises this, being ethereal, unpredictable and achingly beautiful all at once.

Szymanowski, although now recognised as one of the greatest Polish composers, is still very much neglected in the concert hall. His name is a rarity on an orchestral programme despite his four symphonies and two violin concertos, and although his piano works are more popular, are still by no means canonical. Perhaps that is part of his appeal, though: it is always a welcome surprise to find great music from the lesser-known composers. If you have never heard Szymanowski before, I would strongly recommend making a trip down to Exeter this weekend.

The rather better-known Bach’s St John Passion in Bath will also be performed with The Bournemouth Symphony Chorus, a wonderful alternative for those that can't make it to Exeter!

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