Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Ignacy Jan Paderewski, musician, politician, statesman and one of the most outstanding personalities in modern Polish history.

The anniversary is marked by special concerts in many Polish towns. The Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus and Polish soloists tonight and tomorrow perform a concert version of Paderewski’s only opera Manru, with Andrzej Straszyński conducting.

This is the first Polish music drama inspired by the music of Wagner. Premiered in 1901 in Dresden, it was in later years performed in Lviv, Prague, Zurich, Nice, Monte Carlo, Bonn, Warsaw and Kiev, Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and New York. It has remained until today the only Polish work produced at the Met.

Paderewski was a statesman, orator, intellectual, composer and – above all – one of the most famous and popular pianists of all times. The American president Franklin D. Roosevelt called him a ‘modern immortal’.

As a virtuoso he was adored not only by the greatest celebrities of his time, but by people from all walks of life. He travelled all over the world, attracting the largest crowds in history. One of the reasons for his popularity was his magnificent physical appearance. His long, red hair inspired admiration and awe and many musicians tried to emulate him, wearing the top hat, long coat and long hair. However, the main reason for his fame was his magnificent playing. Each recital was a ‘spiritual happening’.

He once said that everything he achieved in music was one per cent the outcome of his talent and ninety nine per cent the result of hard work.

His pianistic career apart, Paderewski devoted much time to composition, primarily with himself in mind as performer of his pieces. The Minuet in G major, included in the first volume of Humoresques, is among the most popular pieces of music ever written, and is naturally something of a Paderewski trademark.

The Sarabande and the Krakowiak fantastique are also excellent flagships of Paderewski the composer. His output also includes Variations in A major, the ‘Polonia’ Symphony and a piano concerto.

Paderewski’s friendships with many of the leading statesmen of Europe and America paved the way for his political activity. He fought for the Polish cause and became an authority on Polish issues. As Poland's Prime Minister, he signed the Versailles Peace Treaty.

Thus, a pianist's hands helped shape a new Poland, which emerged as an independent state after over 120 years under foreign rule. At the end of the First World War the Big Four (Wilson, Clemenceau, Lloyd George and Orlando), wrote about Paderewski in a joint letter: “No country could wish for a better advocate.”

Paderewski died in the United States in 1941 and was buried at Arlington Military Cemetery in Washington. In 1992, at the request of President Lech Wałęsa, his remains were brought to Poland and buried at St John’s Cathedral in Warsaw. (mk)