A concert to bid farewell to summer in Żelazowa Wola

‘Chopin is currently one of the foremost pianists. He draws new effects from the instrument, much like Paganini playing the violin,’ wrote Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy to his mother in May 1834. The two composers – near cage-mates (Mendelssohn was born in 1809) – met in Düsseldorf at this time. Their liking was mixed owith mutual admiration for each other’s professional achievements. Perhaps their shared attitude toward the art of music – prioritizing logic and clarity of form – facilitated this connection. Mendelssohn’s light, classicizing works and Chopin’s masterpieces have more in common than one might expect.

On September 19, marking the conclusion of the Summer Stage series of events in Żelazowa Wola, a concert will take place featuring two compositions – one by Chopin and one by Mendelssohn: the Piano Concerto in F minor and the Symphony No. 4 in A major ‘Italian’. Both works date from a similar period: Chopin’s concerto was composed between 1829 and 1830 (premiered in March 1830, though not published until 1836), while Mendelssohn’s symphony – sketched during his travels in Italy in 1830–1831 – was premiered in 1833 and published (following two revisions) in 1851.

These magnificent works of early Romanticism will be performed by the Polish Radio Orchestra under the baton of Anna Sułkowska-Migoń, set against the backdrop of the park surrounding the Fryderyk Chopin Birthplace. Martín García García, winner of the third prize at the 18th Chopin Competition, will be the soloist in the Chopin’s concerto.

We write more about the event in recent blog post.

Tickets are available at bilety.nifc.pl