The Symphonic Poems of Mieczysław Karłowicz
Mieczysław Karłowicz (1876-1909): Adventurer and cosmopolitan. Growing up in a wealthy Lithuanian family on an estate in Vishnyeva—east of Vilnius—the family would spend most of their time living in Warsaw from 1887 onwards. They would also travel to cities like Heidelberg, Prague and Dresden before the young violinist Karłowicz began studying composition in Berlin in 1895.
He finished three Songs of Eternity in 1906, two of which you will hear here: The Song of Eternal Longing and The Song of Eternal Life. He drew inspiration from Schopenhauer and from mystical experiences he claimed to have had in the Tatra Mountains. Before that, he spent a significant amount of time in Zakopane, devoting his time to photography, skiing and cycling.
His Lithuanian Rhapsody is based on a single folk tune, while his symphonic poem Stanisław and Anna Oświecim is undoubtedly his finest work. Karłowicz died from a skiing accident at the age of 33.
Playlist:
- Mieczysław Karłowicz – Songs of Eternity, Op. 10, Nos. 1 and 3
- Mieczysław Karłowicz – Lithuanian Rhapsody, Op. 11
- Mieczysław Karłowicz – Stanisław and Anna Oświecim, Op. 12
BBC Philharmonic, conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier
