Karol Szymanowski

Mythes op. 30

Karol Szymanowski (1882-1932) is regarded as one of the most important Polish composers since Chopin. He received his formative musical training in Warsaw where he lived for many years and was also director of the Conservatoire and Music Academy. His compositional oeuvre comprises a large variety of styles: Szymanowski first leaned towards Chopin and Scriabin, then studied Richard Strauss and Igor Stravinsky, finally finding a style in which he combined impressionist and expressionist, partly even atonal moments. His Mythes for violin and piano from 1915 fell in a transitional period: in the period of turning away from late German Romanticism. They are expressive miniatures full of tonal refinement and impressionist charm and, thanks to their accessible virtuosity, perfect effective performance pieces.