All three works for violin and piano on this album grow from the same root – they were written by three of the most outstanding 20th Century Polish composers: Grażyna Bacewicz, Alexandre Tansman and Krzysztof Penderecki. They also share the cyclical construction pattern stemming from Franck, even though the attitude to the form differs from one composer to another, and the relationship between violin and piano is also shaped differently. Perhaps the common denominator is the transcendent musical content permeating these three artists hailing from a common musical, cultural and national environment. Bacewicz’ Sonata No. 4, written in 1949, reveals certain neoromantic features despite the fact that it was created in the composer’s neoclassical and folkloric period. In terms of pure emotions, this sonata is an extremely varied work, sometimes highly energetic, sometimes dreamy and lyrical, and at times even humoristic. Tansman’s Fantasy, written 1963, remains in the neoclassical style, with forms such as Divertimento in the first movement, Fugue in the third, Canon in the fifth and Scherzo in the last. However the music flows with innovative content. The predominant factor is the composer’s concern for sound colour, which contributes to the unique atmosphere of the work. Penderecki’s Second Sonata which closes the album was composed in 1999. The extended five-movement cycle is built like an arch form, in which the central place is occupied by the contemplative Notturno. Its musical language constitutes a synthesis of the composer’s ideas at that time. Despite the fact that the work uses the whole twelve-tone scale, he clearly treats it in a melodic and harmonic way. © SM/Qobuz