Classical Music | Violin Music

Recorded on 03/14/2012, uploaded on 06/20/2012

Musician's or Publisher's Notes

Henryk Wieniawski, born in Poland in 1835, was a celebrated violinist from an early age.  At age eight he showed such promise that his mother took him to Paris, where he prospered at the Conservatoire and began to study composition.  In 1860 he was awarded the position of violinist to the Emperor of Russia, and he spent twelve years living in St. Petersburg.  He concertized extensively, including long tours throughout Europe and to the United States, where he and Arthur Rubenstein performed together as far west as California.  He wrote many virtuoso violin pieces to showcase his great versatility and agility on the violin, and they are still favorites of violinists and audiences.  Possessed of a weak heart and frequently ill, he died at the age of 45 while on tour, but his legacy of virtuosity and artistry lives on through an international competition in his name for young violinists hosted by his home town of Lublin, Poland every four years.  The polonaise, a template favored by other Polish composers such as Chopin, is based on a Polish dance in 3/4 time.  The Polonaise Brillante in A major is the second, and less frequently performed, of the two that Wieniawski wrote.      Heather Wittels

Courtesy of International Music Foundation.