Jaromír Weinberger was born in Prague, and fled his native country for America in 1939. In his
Étude in G major the composer incorporates a Polish patriotic hymn of the nineteenth century,
Z dymem pozarów (‘From the smoke of fires’), and provides the pianist with an extraordinary tour de force. The same melody was used by Edward Elgar in his symphonic prelude
Polonia, dedicated to Paderewski during World War I.
from notes by Joseph A Herter © 2011
