Szymanowski worked on his choral ballet Harnasie for the best part of a decade (1923-31), finishing it only a few months before the Sinfonia concertante. He had discussed its staging with Monteux and Lifar in 1933 though the premiere actually took place in Prague. It did not reach the Paris Opera until 1936 and I was surprised to discover when I was producing a BBC series in the centenary year (1982) that the score had not been given in its complete form in the UK up to that point.
After the 1914-18 war Szymanowski's musical language underwent a striking change: the heady exoticism of the First Violin Concerto and the Third Symphony was enriched by his encounter with Goral folk-music (that is to say, the music of the Polish highlands or Tatras). Its accents inform the melodic character of the Op. 50 Mazurkas, which have an extraordinary refinement and melancholy, and are all pervasive in Harnasie itself. The exotic luxuriance, the familiar sense of ecstasy and longing, the glowing colours and luminous textures are still strongly in evidence but are tempered by an altogether earthier melodic language.
One can understand that Harnasie has not held the stage for practical reasons; it makes enormous demands, including a large orchestra and chorus, and occupies only 35 minutes. It is set in the High Tatras and the colourful plot centres on a bridal abduction by a band of highland brigands, the Harnasie, who take their name from their leader, Harnas. The hero is in fact based on a historical figure (who was betrayed and executed in 1713), a kind of Robin Hood about whom there are many folk legends. In the last years of his life Szymanowski provided special endings for some of the individual dances and cued the vocal solos and pistol shots into the instrumental scoring so as to facilitate concert performances. Scenes from Harnasie were first recorded by Warsaw forces in the mid-1960s under Bohdan Wodiczko (Olympia/Complete Record Co (CD) OCD303, 5/89) and there have been two new recordings of the full score since by Witold Rowicki in the 1970s (Rediffusion Records Aurora, 6/78—nla) and Antoni Wit and the Krakow forces in the centenary year (HMV, 9/82—nla). The newcomer under Robert Satanowski is impressive in almost every respect and has plenty of spirit and atmosphere. The orchestral playing is sensitive and responsive, and both the solo and choral singing are very good. It is vastly superior to the Wodiczko and better recorded that the Rowicki, while the account of Mandragora strikes me as even more persuasive than its predecessor under Antoni Wit (also 9/82).
While Szymanowski laboured over Harnasie for almost ten years, he finished Mandragora in as many days. This harlequinade for chamber forces was designed for a performance of Moliere's Le bourgeois gentilhomme, its three acts supplying the entertainment that Monsieur Jourdain offered his guests. It in no way resembles the Richard Strauss of Ariadne, nor to be frank, do I think many people would place it as Szymanowski at all. It is much closer to Prokofiev; the plot itself has some points of contact with The love for three oranges. Oddly enough, the nine scenes of Harnasie are not separately banded while the three parts of Mandragora are. The texts are not provided but there are more-than-adequate notes and a summary of the action. The recording is naturally balanced with plenty of detail and presence. Recommended.'