From the time of Chopin, Polish musicians began to make Paris a favorite destination. The French capital even became, between the wars, their second musical capital, as its cosmopolitan excitement attracted them. Polish creation shined in many areas and the archives (French press, concert programs, correspondence) reveal the scale and importance of this presence. Some of them, such as the pianist and harpsichordist Wanda Landowska or the singer Marya Freund, had settled there before the Great War. The Parisian scene welcomed great virtuosos, notably the pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski, the violinists Paul Kocha?ski and Bronis?aw Huberman. Young talents Feliks ?abu?ski, Piotr Perkowski, Antoni Sza?owski, Tadeusz Szeligowski and Maria Modrakowka formed the Association of Young Polish Musicians. Paris released their creative energy. This work explores the socio-cultural dimension of this phenomenon by drawing up individual and collective portraits of musicians who chose to link their destiny to a city that is an integral player in this history.
