Psst, don't tell the Poles

When I first heard Szymanowski's violin concerto No. 1 (1916) -- some 15 years ago -- I was delighted by it, though possibly less by the music itself (since it did not become part of my regular listening repertoire) but more by the strong sensation that one needed to listen to it differently, with a different part of the brain as it were, different from that part, that is, which one normally uses to listen to classical and romantic music. (Perhaps my discovery of Szymanowski was made possible by the fact that by then I had considerable experience listening with another part of the brain, so to speak, to Japanese classical music). Now, as I listen to Prokofiev's violin concerto No. 1 (1915), I realize how derivative Szymanowski's concerto really is -- 'directly inspired' - and how much less interesting. But don't tell the Poles.