Nowowiejski, Felix - Polish Fantasia

In the Fantaisie Polonaise, the composer employs refined, intricate contrapuntal artistry to bring together themes from two Polish Christmas carols (‘Anioł pasterzom’ [The angel to the shepherds] and ‘Gdy się Chrystus rodzi’ [When Christ is born]). At a certain point, this work acquires the loftiness of plainsong, enhanced with imitations of church bells, and refers to the highland music of Podhale, with its characteristic Lydian scale.