The youthful compositions of Karol Szymanowski, performed here by Joanna Domanska, were created from 18991905. Works on the album include 9 Preludes, Op.1, Variations in B Flat minor, Op.3, 4 Etudes, Op.4 and Fantasy in C major, Op.14.

The majority of these pieces were composed in Tymoshivka, Ukraine, and during Szymanowski's studies in Warsaw. Harmony lessons with Marek Zawirski and counterpoint and composition ones with Zygmunt Noskowski complemented the knowledge that the young composer was drawing from his in-depth analyses of works of great masters. According to a popular belief, works of Fryderyk Chopin and Alexander Scriabin served as a model for the form and texture of the Preludes, op. 1 and Etudes, op. 4; the virtuoso pianism of Variations, op. 3 and Fantasy, op. 14 referred to compositions of Johannes Brahms and Franz Liszt, whereas Szymanowski's harmonic language in the first period of his work was shaped by the music of Richard Strauss and Richard Wagner. The influence of other composers on Szymanowski's early works has been widely considered in all possible analyses and dissertations, which wrongly suggests lack of originality of their author. Meanwhile, Szymanowski's early piano opuses are works full of noble, poetic inspiration and spontaneous expression, which ensured them a permanent place in the piano repertoire.