Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Polish Fantasy Op. 19 (1893)

Ignacy Jan Paderewski (18 November [O.S. 6 November] 1860 – 29 June 1941) was a Polish pianist and composer, politician, statesman and spokesman for Polish independence. He was a favorite of concert audiences around the world. His musical fame opened access to diplomacy and the media.

Fantaisie Polonaise sur des thèmes originaux pour Piano et Orchestre, Op. 19 (1893)
Dedication: À Madame la Princesse R. Bassaraba de Brancovan

Janina Fialkowska, piano and the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit
(Naxos 8.554020)

The creation of Polish Fantasy originally titled "Fantaisie polonaise sur des thèmes originaux," came about in Ignacy Jan Paderewski's height of popularity as a piano virtuoso. A student of the famed Teodor Leszetycki, Paderewski made his debut in Vienna in 1887. A concert in Paris a year later kicked off his international career. In 1890 he played concerts in England, including one in front of Queen Victoria. In 1891 he went for his first tour of the United States. He came back to the US after two years. Together with his son and his family Paderewski left for Normandy in July 1893, and there in a town named Yport he soon composed the Polish Fantasy, which he dedicated to Princess Rachel de Brancovan.

The premiere of the work took place during a festival in Norwich on October 4th that same year. The solo part was played by Paderewski himself, and the orchestra was conducted by Alberto Randegger. Two years later, in June 1895 the piece was played for the first time in Warsaw during one of the concerts in the Dolina Szwajcarska / Swiss Valley garden. It was interpreted by Henryk Melcer and accompanied by the orchestra conducted by Zygmunt Noskowski.

Polish Fantasy, next to the Piano Concert in A Minor, is recognised as one of the most popular works in Polish piano literature. Paderewski repeatedly played this piece during his tours through various parts of the world. In 1895, after his concerts in New York and Philadelphia critics from prime newspapers emphasised that the composition not only evoked Polish folklore, but was also a symbol of the whole nation, reminding everybody about its existence.