Karol Szymanowski - Mazurkas, Op. 50; Symphony No. 4, Op. 60, Symphonie concertante, for Piano and Orchestra

(Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, conductor Marin Alsop)

Premiere album, released on February 27th

On February 27th, pianist Szymon Nehring released his latest album on Rubicon Classics. The CD features works by Karol Szymanowski, a Polish composer who rose to prominence in the first half of the 20th century through a unique musical language, combining elements of late Romanticism with modern nuances-Impressionism and influences drawn from Polish folk music. Szymanowski is a wonderful composer who receives far too little attention around the world. I will try to make his music better known," pianist Szymon Nehring said in an interview. For his new album, he chose Symphonie concertante, Op. 60, recorded together with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra under the baton of conductor Marin Alsop, as well as the 10 Mazurkas, Op. 50, composed by Karol Szymanowski in 1925. These works are marked by rhythmic complexity and sophisticated harmonies, opening up a distinctive musical world between traditional music and modern sonic language. These are challenging works, contrasting in both tempo and character, in which pianist Szymon Nehring showcases his remarkable qualities-flawless technique, a refined touch, poetic sensitivity, and outstanding interpretative virtuosity.

The central work of this album, recorded in spring 2025 at the concert hall of the Polish Radio in Katowice and at the Warsaw Philharmonic in Warsaw, is Symphony No. 4 'Symphonie concertante', Op. 60, written by Karol Szymanowski in 1932 and dedicated to pianist Artur Rubinstein-a score in which refined impressionistic nuances, lyrical passages, and striking rhythmic structures intertwine in a musical discourse full of imagination and unique timbral colours. These qualities are brought vividly to the fore by pianist Szymon Nehring, joined by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and American conductor Marin Alsop, who has served as the ensemble's Artistic Director since 2023. Together, these musicians performed Symphony No. 4 'Symphonie concertante', Op. 60 by Karol Szymanowski during a successful European tour, further promoting this outstanding new recording.

Szymon Nehring is one of Poland's most highly regarded musicians, having won the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition in 2017. Born on September 29, 1995, in Kraków, he studied in his hometown before continuing his education at the Academy of Music in Bydgoszcz and the Yale School of Music. Szymon Nehring has performed on major international stages alongside some of Poland's leading orchestras, as well as with the Bamberg Symphony, the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in Tel Aviv, and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Marseille. To date, he has released eight albums, most of them devoted to Polish composers.