Polish music of the nineteenth century was dominated by national symbolism to such an extent that other subjects were not really explored. Even if they were addressed, they were roundly criticised for being foreign or cosmopolitan, for departing from native folk models.

This tendency held sway throughout the whole of the 19th century until Poland had regained its independence where nationalism in music became an important element in strengthening and affirming the national identity. This style of composition was adhered to by composers from Elsner, Kurpiński and Chopin’s peer Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński to those writing between the wars, including Feliks Nowowiejski, who survived the Second World War.

A pupil of Max Bruch in Berlin, Nowowiejski’s rich compositional output was mostly known only by the world-famous oratorio Quo Vadis and the opera Legenda Baltyku; his wealth of chamber, symphonic, organ, choral and sacred music was neither published nor performed. Scholars and musicians have been enchanted by the musical and theatrical qualities of Nowowiejski’s fantastical ballet King of the Winds, initially planned as an opera, which was first staged in Poznań in 1929 and is also known under the titles The Tatra Mountains and Leluja. The shimmering musical colours, the dense instrumentation, characterised by high wind registers and new combinations of instrumental timbres, and the use of percussion show Nowowiejski to have been an exceptionally gifted symphonist and one of the most distinguished Polish composers of the 1930s. The second Nowowiejski overture is for his opera (actually an opera-ballet) Legend of the Baltic.

The jewel in the crown of Polish orchestral music of the 1830s is the Second Symphony in C minor by Ignacy Feliks Dobrzyński. It broke through abroad and was highly rated and should now find its due place in the concert repertoire as representative of the high standard of Polish symphonic music of the Chopin era.

In 1984, Yehudi Menuhin came to Poland where concerts under his baton met with an enthusiastic reception from audiences and critical acclaim; Menuhin accepted an offer to become the first guest conductor of the newly founded orchestra Sinfonia Varsovia. All works are performed on this new recording by Sinfonia Varsovia under the baton of Grzegorz Nowak.