Polish Fantasy for piano and orchestra, op. 19

The Fantaisie polonaise sur des thèmes originaux, op. 19, was finished in 1893, when Paderewski's concert career had made him the most sought-after pianist in Europe and America and left him little time to compose. Despite the title the themes are his own rather than folk quotations; what is Polish about the piece is in the rhythms — krakowiak and mazurka figures — not in borrowed tunes. He introduced it at the Norwich Festival in England that same year, playing the solo part himself. It remained one of the very few orchestral works he completed.