Warsaw Philharmonic

Serenada na ork. Smyczkową [Serenade for string orchestra], Op. 2 (1897)

Mieczysław Karłowicz Born December 11, 1876 in Wiszniewo, Lithuania Died February 8, 1909 in the Tatra Mountains Mieczysław Karłowicz has often been referred to as the most representative composer of the “Young Poland” movement in music. Although he was not one of the original composers of the movement, he joined the likes of Szymanowski, Fitelberg and Różyk in this neo-Romantic movement that is based on the unification of modern techniques and national traditions. Karłowicz based his own compositions and orchestrations on the techniques of Wagner, Tchaikovsky and Richard Strauss.

He was the son of the Polish historian and musician Jan Karłowicz, who moved frequently in his quest for knowledge. During his childhood Mieczysław Karłowicz and his family moved from Lithuania to Heidelberg, Prague and Dresden before finally settling in Warsaw. He began violin lessons as a young child, but due to health concerns was eventually forced to stop playing. At this time he began to study composition, studying first in Warsaw then moving to Berlin to study with Heinrich Urban. Upon graduation in 1901 he returned to Warsaw and eventually became the director of the Warsaw Music Society. In due course he bacame frustrated by the music scene in Warsaw, and moved to Zakopane near the Tatra Mountains. By this time, his health had improved considerably, and he took up skiing and mountain climbing. It was during one of these treks that he was killed in an avalanche in the Tatra Mountains at the age of 32.

Karłowicz’ Serenade, Op. 2 was written while he was still in Berlin in 1897, and remains one of his most popular compositions. The work is written for string orchestra and shows his mastery of chromatic harmony and exotic key relationships. The work opens with a well-written March marked Allegro moderato – Tempo di Marcia – Trio: Meno mosso. The second movement, Romance: Andante con moto, is both subtle and poetic, while the third movement, Waltz: Allegro moderato – Poco piu mosso – Tempo I is a very elegant example of the form. The serenade closes with a Finale: Allegretto non troppo that may bring to mind the music of Franz Lehar’s Merry Widow.

© 2008 Elizabeth Ely Torres