'My ideal, whom I faithfully serve' - Chopin and his first unrequited love for Konstancja Gładkowska (1810-1889)
The embrace of the romantic landscape of Fryderyk Chopin and Poland continues to evolve. A most beautiful and moving festival has just begun at her final home in the historic town of Skierniewice about 90 kms from Warsaw. As we are not taking a romantic carriage ride in the manner of Madame Bovary, the motor car journey takes a little over an hour. This first recital given by Kevin Kenner was personally a deeply moving musical and personal experience for me. The association with Chopin and his illusioned adolescent love, so poignantly expressed in his letters, touched me profoundly in a manner the details of which I cannot reveal. In 1824, Konstancja Gładkowska began studying singing at the Warsaw conservatory under Carlo Soliva. After completing her studies, she joined the ensemble of artists of the Warsaw opera theatre. From her first performances, she was considered an exceptionally talented singer. On 21 April 1829, at a concert of soloists from the Warsaw conse...