Polonez - MVSR2361 | Music

Michal Kleofas Oginski (1765-1833) was a talented composer who was widely known for his polonaises. During his extensive travels abroad the young aristocrat became acquainted with the current trends in European music and continued to compose and publish throughout his career. During the tumultuous times of the partitions, he found himself on the side of the Kotciusko Insurrection. When it failed, he was forced to leave his home country. While in exile he did not give up his efforts aimed at independence for Poland. He wrote passionate memorials to Napoleon, and, in his honor, composed an opera “Zelida and Valcour, or Bonaparte in Cairo”. Oginski hoped that his opera would turn Napoleon’s attention to Poland’s fate, but his composition “Zelida and Valcour” was never performed in Paris. Oginski’s polonaises became the symbol of the national art for many years to come. The most famous of his polonaises is called “Farewell to the Homeland”. It is also known as “Les Adieux”.