Classical Music | Piano Music

Karol Szymanowski

Mazurka no. 2, Allegramente - Poco vivace, from 20 Mazurkas, Op. 50  Play

Amber Yiu-Hsuan Liao Piano

Recorded on 06/18/2014, uploaded on 11/06/2014

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

The mazurka is a folk dance in triple meter from Poland, that originated from two other Polish dances, one slow and wistful, the other fast and lively. Distinguished by a particular rhythmic pattern and accented on the second or third beat, the dance was first transformed by Frédéric Chopin, who composed around seventy mazurkas for solo piano. As one of the most significant Polish composers after Chopin, Zsymanowski composed a collection of twenty mazurkas in op. 50, combining his fascination of Polish folk music, specifically Góral music, with his personal musical language. Ranging from fantastic, primitive, plaintive to mysterious, each mazurka is a miniature world of sound exploration, which transforms this traditional form into a contemporary one.   Amber Liao