Before World War I, Szymanowski was able to travel to Austria, Italy, and North Africa, where he heard the calls to worship of the Islamic muezzins and worked them into his songs. On his travels he also saw Stravinsky's Firebird and Petrushka, and met Stravinsky himself in London. In 1911, he met and became friends with the young pianist, Artur Rubinstein , who was impressed with his piano compositions and started playing them in concerts throughout the world.
The outbreak of...