CHOPIN | STRAUSS

[We bring] friends of music, and native talents excellent (...) news: Fryderyk Chopin has finished his second great concerto. (…) It is the work of a genius. The originality and grace of thoughts, lush imagination, instrumentation talent, and finally masterful execution delighted the audience. Chopin's genius promises him extraordinary and lasting fame. (...) Soon, because apparently before the end of the month, he is to go abroad. (...) Mr Chopin would deprive the Warsaw audience of real pleasure if he left without letting them hear his second concerto.

It is how the General National Journal announced the first public performance of Fryderyk Chopin's Piano Concerto in E minor. The exceptional year of 1830 ended. In May, the Seym was officially opened, attended by Tsar Nicholas I, King of Prussia Wilhelm, Prince Antoni Radziwiłł, Prince Adam Czartoryski, Aleksander Humbolt and many famous personalities. Many attractive social and artistic events were organized on this occasion throughout the artistic season. Reviewers and critics competed in a paean to honour the stars of the stage. All the more eagerly awaited for the new Concerto by "the greatest pianist, Chopin", mostly since the premiere of the previous one, in the same year, was extremely successful.

Chopin himself was already then absorbed in thoughts of the imminent departure from the country. On October 12, the day after the concert, he wrote to Tytus Woyciechowski: Dear life of mine! Yesterday's concert was successful for me – I hurry with this report. I tell you, sir, that I was not afraid at all, I played as when I am alone, and it was good. (...) I don't think about anything anymore, but about packing, either on Saturday or Wednesday, I leave through Krakow.

Artur Wierciński will be the soloist of the evening. He is the winner of the International Piano Competition in Saint-Priest (2019) and the Polish National Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw (2015) and the winner of the 3rd Prize at the Hong Kong International Piano Competition (2019). The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Josep Caballe Domenech – director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic in the USA. He is also the chief conductor of the Moritzburg Festival and former director of the Staatskapelle Halle in Germany.