Mity

There is no more effective example of the combination of violin and piano colours than The Fountain of Arethusa, the first of Symanowski’s three Myths. The running-water sound produced by the piano in the opening bars is not entirely original, in that it clearly derives from Ravel’s Jeux d’eau, but the first entry of the violin, high on the E-string, is beautifully contrived to blend with it. In fact, the scoring of the whole piece is so inspired that the Polish composer achieves here something which neither Debussy nor Ravel even attempted, which is the complete integration of the violin with impressionist piano textures. There is watery imagery in Narcissus too. In this case, however, it is still water, as represented in the opening bars by limpid but deliberately static piano harmonies. Against this tranquil background the violin draws a sustained line of exquisite self-regarding tenderness. Dryads and Pan is a very much more active scene than the other two. Beginning with the sound of the wind blowing through the trees in a remarkable example of microtonal colouring on the violin, the first part is devoted largely to the dancing wood nymphs. Pan makes his definitive entry on a dramatic silence, playing his pipe in unaccompanied harmonics before giving amorous and eventful chase to the dryads.