Polonaise Nr. 2 from Op. 2
Henrik Rung
This is the second Polonaise from Op. 2 by Henrik Rung (1807 - 1871).
Henrik Rung was one of the leading Danish composers from the 19th century. He learnt to play the guitar as a boy form amongst others the legendary Danish guitarist Søffren Degen. A knee injury in his youth caused him to be bed ridden for almost two years, but he spent this time well improving his guitaristic skills.
As a student he performed very well on the Conservatory of the Royal Chapel in Copenhagen. That’s why he was granted a scholarship abroad, he landed in Italy where he studied singing and choir composition. In this period he developed a great love for Italian Renaissance music.
After his studies he became Sang Mestre -singing teacher- for the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen and he founded the Cecilia Society Choir (Cæciliaforeningen). In this period he became best known for his songs and choral compositions.
Nevertheless he composed a few guitar works. His Polonaises from Op.2 are technically more demanding, with many virtuoso excursions to the high positions.
Polonaise 2 looks less complex than the first one from this Opus. Just like the other Polonaise it does not reflect the reputation of a conga with a German band. I scored it, because I was curious about ist sound, but I guess that it will take some time before I am able to play it.
Anyway, it is a challenge for the ambitious guitarist. A D minor theme sets the scene, a D major trio changes the atmosphere and the Da Capo returns the main theme. The piece has some technical tricks like a tremolo section.