Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Dans le désert / Na pustyni
Pianist: Karol Radziwonowicz
Composed in 1886-87

Bio
It is almost impossible to summarize the life of such a prolific and titanic figure as Paderewski. He was an artist, a supporter of the arts, a statesman, an outspoken supporter of an independent Poland, and a critic of totalitarianism. He genuinely cared for people and their fates, and his time as a politician never drove him to create a false image of himself [1]. All of his love not only for Polish culture, but for European culture and for all of man's striving forced him to be prolific. Even after retreating away from public life, he never stopped calling out religious and ethnic persecution and supporting the arts [1].

Paderewski's life was permeated with intense personal loss. From a young age he experienced a life of hardship, being born in Kuryłówka (now Ukraine) to parents who would be taken from him [2]. His mother died very early on, and his father was arrested in connection to the January Uprising. His family was touched by the uprisings, so he developed a very strong affinity for his countrymen [1]. Paderewski's first wife, whom he met at the Warsaw Conservatory would die of childbirth, and their son was born with serious handicaps [3]. One could argue that, his experiences along with his devotion to art gave him a deep sensitivity to the problems of the world.

In public life, he supported Polish monuments, he worked with the Nobel Laurate Henryk Sienkiewicz to create the Polish Relief Fund [2], and he served as a Prime Minister and as a delegate to the League of Nations [1]. He supported victims of Kulturkampf in Germany, and his speech in Poznań, though very balanced and non-violent, was said to contribute to electrifying crowds that were already considering rising up in the Greater-Poland Uprising [4]. He had massive influence on US politics, using the Polish minority vote to encourage Woodrow Wilson to support the Polish Corridor [1][2]. Toward the end of his life, he financially supported Władysław Sikorski, the Polish Prime Minister in Exile during WW2, and his activity [1].

As a musician, Paderewski was world renown [1]. He studied with Friedrich Kiel and Heinreich Urban in Berlin and with Teodor Leszetycki in Vienna [3]. Paderewski gave concerts throughout the world and made many friends along the way. Because of his varied education and his life experience, his music (most of which was completed before his political career began) has a cosmopolitan quality. On the other hand, he included Polish dance in much of his work, and he references Polish culture regularly in his compositions (e.g. a "Marsz Dąbrowskiego" quote in the 'Polonia' Symphony) [3]. Like with Chopin and a litany of others, it is impossible to divorce Polishness from Paderewski's music.

Bibliography
[1] M. M. Drozdowski. Ignacy Jan Paderewski - Współtwórca Niepodległej Twórcy Państwowości Polskiej. Wydawnictwo Naukowe Muzeum Niepodległości. Warszawa. 2020.
[2] R. Matrzak. Legendarna Postać w Historii Polskiego Narodu. Przegląd Pruszkowski. Warszawa. nr. 2, 10-17. 1995.
[3] Wikipedia. Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Last Updated: 21/1/2021. [ Ссылка ]
[4] M. Rezler. Realia Powstańcze Ignacego Paderewskiego. Museion Poloniae Maioris. Poznań. nr. 4. 2017.

свернуть