Shakespeare — Britain’s beacon for the arts and politics reflects on issues such as national identity and historical truth — at home and abroad.
Edinburgh Stratford London
Joined January 2012
- Tweets2.1K
- Following365
- Followers352
- Likes1.6K
Pinned Tweet
It’s puzzling that Polish institutions continue to ignore #Chopin’s well-documented close relationship with #JennyLind — and even to misrepresent and/or hide artworks she commissioned in tribute to him (now discovered by @IconsEurope).
Poland could gain so much by …
Below, the 1859 painting “Polonez, Rêve de F. Chopin” shows Teofil Kwiatkowski’s vision of #Chopin & #JennyLind’s wedding in the vaulted #LaMadeleine — planned for ca. 20 Oct. 1849, but aborted days earlier. On the left, VIP guests resemble Queen Victoria, Louis Napoléon and other royals portrayed elsewhere (Lind knew them all).
Two other Kwiatkowski works depict the same scene. And in the 1937 film “Moonlight Sonata”, rich in Chopin–Lind allusions, #Paderewski himself greets the little girl in white:
youtu.be/ZM3sWUAexaM #ChopinArt
Why have the painting itself and this explanation received so little attention?
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
(4/4) “The one duty we owe to history is to rewrite it”, concludes Oscar Wilde in his essay The Critic as Artist (1891) — apparently commenting on F. Niecks’s elaborate #Chopin biography (1888).
In the Preface, Niecks named #JennyLind as “a chief source of information”: iconsofeurope.com/frederick.…
Wilde adds: “After playing Chopin, I feel as if I had been weeping over sins that I had never committed, and mourning over tragedies that were not my own.”
Oscar Wilde knew Jenny Lind (his aunt).
“Tristesse”: youtu.be/LTSXWxIYirU
#Chopin #ChopinArt #OscarWilde
(3/4) A Shakespearean parallel?
In both tragedies — Romeo & Juliet, Chopin & Jenny Lind — mistaken information sets in motion unintended consequences, ending in death before the lovers can unite.
#Chopin #JennyLind #ChopinArt #RomeoJuliet #Shakespeare
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
(3/4) A Shakespearean parallel?
In both tragedies — Romeo & Juliet, Chopin & Jenny Lind — mistaken information sets in motion unintended consequences, ending in death before the lovers can unite.
#Chopin #JennyLind #ChopinArt #RomeoJuliet #Shakespeare
(2/3) The symbolism was particularly deep — Shakespearean — for Jenny Lind.
A. The Berceuse recalls her romantic relationship with #Chopin since 1841.
B. In Louis Asher’s 1846 painting, she wears a bridal veil while playing a German lullaby. Was she reminding Chopin of her marriage proposal?
C. He appears to have stopped medication around July 1849 on her advice. The somnambulist had mistakenly examined Mme Étienne’s healthy lock of hair, not Chopin’s (his letters 28 July & 3 Aug.).
D. Chopin dies suddenly a few months later — before their planned wedding.
E. Kwiatkowski’s 1859 Polonez / Dream painting echoes Jenny Lind’s story:
A little orphan (greeted by Paderewski in the 1937 film), a Queen Mab fairy with wings, Chopin’s bride, and a princess honoured by royal guests. It’s suggested that Polonaise, Op. 53 was intended as the wedding march.
“Chopin’s Dream”: amzn.eu/d/09MvEITI | youtu.be/xSRzOMoQcIM #Chopin #JennyLind #Berceuse #Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet #ChopinArt
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
(2/3) The symbolism was particularly deep — Shakespearean — for Jenny Lind.
A. The Berceuse recalls her romantic relationship with #Chopin since 1841.
B. In Louis Asher’s 1846 painting, she wears a bridal veil while playing a German lullaby. Was she reminding Chopin of her marriage proposal?
C. He appears to have stopped medication around July 1849 on her advice. The somnambulist had mistakenly examined Mme Étienne’s healthy lock of hair, not Chopin’s (his letters 28 July & 3 Aug.).
D. Chopin dies suddenly a few months later — before their planned wedding.
E. Kwiatkowski’s 1859 Polonez / Dream painting echoes Jenny Lind’s story:
A little orphan (greeted by Paderewski in the 1937 film), a Queen Mab fairy with wings, Chopin’s bride, and a princess honoured by royal guests. It’s suggested that Polonaise, Op. 53 was intended as the wedding march.
“Chopin’s Dream”: amzn.eu/d/09MvEITI | youtu.be/xSRzOMoQcIM #Chopin #JennyLind #Berceuse #Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet #ChopinArt
(1/2) Beyond its calmness, Chopin’s #Berceuse, Op. 57 (1845) carries a deep layer of artistic symbolism.
Fr. Niecks’s Chopin biography (1888) notes that the lullaby recalls Romeo and Juliet — the “Queen Mab” fairy and “I had a dream last night” — an echo also suggested by the title and the wings of Kwiatkowski’s painting “Polonez, Rêve de F. Chopin” (1859).
#Chopin #JennyLind #ChopinArt #Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet
Berceuse / Arthur Rubinstein: youtu.be/v1CXY5NHvms
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Re two of @stanley_wells’s questions: Scholars replied to the @ShakespeareBT questionnaire in 2011: “None of #Shakespeare’s plays is the product of an isolated genius ... He formed temporary partnerships with other playwrights”. - Were the #Sonnets not written by Edmund Spenser?
What ‘manner of man’ was Shakespeare? How did he write a play? What do his Sonnets reveal of his personality? What made him laugh? Come join @stanley_wells for the next Research Conversation @ShakespeareBT Wed. 13th September 5.00 p.m. Free to register. shakespeare.org.uk/visit/wha…
Connecting Chopin and Shakespeare:
#Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet
#Chopin #JennyLind #Berceuse
youtu.be/bwU77KZlzdo #ChopinArt
(1/2) Beyond its calmness, Chopin’s #Berceuse, Op. 57 (1845) carries a deep layer of artistic symbolism.
Fr. Niecks’s Chopin biography (1888) notes that the lullaby recalls Romeo and Juliet — the “Queen Mab” fairy and “I had a dream last night” — an echo also suggested by the title and the wings of Kwiatkowski’s painting “Polonez, Rêve de F. Chopin” (1859).
#Chopin #JennyLind #ChopinArt #Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet
Berceuse / Arthur Rubinstein: youtu.be/v1CXY5NHvms
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
(1/2) Beyond its calmness, Chopin’s #Berceuse, Op. 57 (1845) carries a deep layer of artistic symbolism.
Fr. Niecks’s Chopin biography (1888) notes that the lullaby recalls Romeo and Juliet — the “Queen Mab” fairy and “I had a dream last night” — an echo also suggested by the title and the wings of Kwiatkowski’s painting “Polonez, Rêve de F. Chopin” (1859).
#Chopin #JennyLind #ChopinArt #Shakespeare #RomeoJuliet
Berceuse / Arthur Rubinstein: youtu.be/v1CXY5NHvms
In these autumn days, Daniel Barenboim’s interpretation of Chopin’s Berceuse, Op. 57, offers a moment of calm — a Polish composer, a multinational artist, and music beyond borders.
youtu.be/bwU77KZlzdo
#Chopin #CulturalDiplomacy
Could the U.K. (with some 140 Nobel laureates) and Poland (with 19) learn from each other about how historic national figures can stimulate today’s education, enterprise, diplomacy and quality of life?
#Shakespeare #Newton #Darwin #Churchill #PolishBrand
At a suitable stage of the official #PolishBrand campaign, a symbolic lapel pin and an informative booklet — as proposed below — could be distributed through business and diplomacy networks. A banner bearing the sword may also be used.
A value formula for Poland’s identity:
Power • Intellect • Beauty • Freedom
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Few countries other than Poland can point to such a variety of historic figures whose legacies still resonate today — not counting Poland’s 19 Nobel laureates.
#CulturalHeritage #PolishBrand
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Below, the 1859 painting “Polonez, Rêve de F. Chopin” shows Teofil Kwiatkowski’s vision of #Chopin & #JennyLind’s wedding in the vaulted #LaMadeleine — planned for ca. 20 Oct. 1849, but aborted days earlier. On the left, VIP guests resemble Queen Victoria, Louis Napoléon and other royals portrayed elsewhere (Lind knew them all).
Two other Kwiatkowski works depict the same scene. And in the 1937 film “Moonlight Sonata”, rich in Chopin–Lind allusions, #Paderewski himself greets the little girl in white:
youtu.be/ZM3sWUAexaM #ChopinArt
Why have the painting itself and this explanation received so little attention?
7️⃣ In the 19th century the Hôtel Lambert became the heart of the Polish Great Emigration.
Teofil Kwiatkowski’s painting captures Chopin playing at a ball given by Prince Czartoryski. More
#HôtelLambert #Chopin #Paris
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Queen Victoria and Franz Liszt —
Shakespearean encounter in 1886!
Albert Hall: youtu.be/ZRREEOvi5vs
#CulturalDiplomacy #Victoria #Liszt
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Recalling #Liszt and #Wagner’s close relationship could today help strengthening Hungary and Germany’s political ties.
Liszt supported Wagner financially, especially during his exile. Wagner married Liszt's daughter Cosima in 1870. #CulturalDiplomacy
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Across Europe, #Liszt connected composers, artists, audiences and musical forms — Queen Victoria discussed music with him in 1886.
In his Chopin biography, Liszt noted that Chopin was “always treated en Prince”.
#Magyarország #CulturalDiplomacy
cc @tamasivankovacs #SoftPower
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
In documenting #Shakespeare’s early life, UK institutions struggle to balance national identity and historical truth. The same seems to apply to #Chopin. What is the attitude of the Church of Poland?
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
The Chopin Institute states that #Chopin was baptised on Easter Sunday. Yet 23 April 1810 was a Monday, and Easter Sunday fell a week earlier. How should this discrepancy be explained?
🎶 We invite you to an extraordinary concert commemorating the 216th anniversary of the baptism of Fryderyk Chopin. The event will take place on 23 April 2026 at the Basilica of St John the Baptist in Brochów.
Read more > nifc.pl/en/home/aktualnosci/…
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
A paraphrasing of Goethe, not Dvořák?
Beauty is not relative.❤️
🎶✨Dvořák – Symphony No. 9 (“From the New World”) “Every man should listen to a little good music, read a little good poetry, and see a beautiful painting every day of his life, so that the worries of everyday life do not extinguish the ability to perceive the beauty that God has placed in the human soul.”
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
Yes, Europe’s cultural strengths! But this diversity is a big weakness for crafting a common foreign policy and a common defense capability.
It would be more interesting to study and rewrite #Shakespeare’s real parentage (probably Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots). @ShakesInstitute @ShakespeareBT nytimes.com/2025/04/24/world…
GlobalShakespeare retweeted
It’s interesting how Shakespeare’s HAMLET connects with the funeral marches of #Chopin and #Tchaikovsky and with certain scholars’ disinformation on #Shakespeare’s own parentage. Ref. the two reposts below.