1918 Memorial Concert
Friday, November 16, 2018 at 8 pm
Salle des Abeilles – Palais de l'Athénée – Genève
POLISH MUSIC CONCERT
OLIVIA JACOBSON violin
MICHAŁ DREWNOWSKI piano
Program :
CHOPIN, PADEREWSKI, WIENIAWSKI and LUTOSŁAWSKI
It is with great pleasure that the Frédéric Chopin Society will welcome you to the concert commemorating the centenary of Poland's independence! Indeed, the Second Polish Republic was created in November 1918, restoring the country's territorial integrity after one hundred and twenty-three tragic years of fragmentation and foreign occupation.
From the end of the 18th century, Poland became a major political, strategic and military issue between the various regional powers. After Napoleon's fall, Russia, Prussia and Austria shared Polish territory and bloodily repressed the many attempts at popular uprising. It was not until 1918 and the end of the First World War that, thanks in particular to the tireless diplomatic efforts of the composer and pianist Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Poland finally regained its historical, geographical and cultural borders.
This commemorative concert brings together four key figures of Polish music, whose lives have been marked by exile and the political upheavals that have shaken Poland: First of all, Chopin, who, after leaving Warsaw in November 1830 to give concerts in Europe, will never see his native land again; Wieniawski, an immense violinist with an international career; Paderewski, an internationally renowned virtuoso whose negotiating skills have helped to revive the Polish state; and Lutoslawski, a great personality in 20th century music, who will fight to preserve his artistic freedom under the yoke of communist totalitarianism.
To perform this exceptional program, the Société Frédéric Chopin called upon two musicians, Olivia Jacobson, violinist and Michal Drewnowski, pianist, whom the audience of its fall festival has already appreciated for their great values.
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