In THREE MAZURKAS, Ewazen celebrates his Polish ancestry, his love of Chopin, and the Eastern European folk dances he grew up with. Excited by the opportunity to be a guest composer at the Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in 2023, a set of new mazurkas was Ewazen’s gift of bonding and appreciation for Chopin and for today’s Polish musicians. The composer has described “a distinct character for each of the three movements. The first mazurka is both stately and elegant. The second is lively, lilting, and flowing. The third is energetic and playful.”