The Spirit of Poland

Pianist Felicja Blumental explores the vibrant repertoire of Karol Szymanowski (who taught the young Blumental composition) and fellow Pole Fryderyk Chopin, whose music was a fundamental part of Felicja Blumental’s recording career which brought her great acclaim. That the music of Chopin played a fundamental part in the recording studio and concert platform for Felicja Blumental should barely come as a surprise. As a fellow Pole, and a student at the National Conservatory, she was steeped in the music of her native land through her piano teachers Zbigniew Drzewiecki, Joseph Goldberg and Stefan Askenase, later bolstering these studies with the noted Chopin expert Józef Turczynski. The only other stellar Polish composer missing from this list is Karol Szymanowski, who taught the young Blumental composition.