ABSTRACT
In 1975, a bronze head of Frederic Chopin by Jozef Markiewicz was presented by the Chopin Society of Warsaw to the citizens of Edinburgh, as a memorial of the concert in the Hopetoun Rooms. The Hopetoun Rooms, adjacent to Queen Street Gardens, were designed by Thomas Hamilton in the early 1820s. In Edinburgh, Chopin was progressive enough to give a solo performance, and independent enough to limit himself to his own compositions. The Edinburgh Evening Courant indicated that there were Poles in the audience who recognized 'two Polish melodies'. The Edinburgh Advertiser endorsed the 'display of rank and beauty' to be seen in the Hopetoun Rooms on 'one of the most delightful musical evenings we have ever spent'. In 1975, a bronze head of Chopin by Jozef Markiewicz was presented by the Frederick Chopin Society of Warsaw to the citizens of Edinburgh, as a memorial of the concert in the Hopetoun Rooms.
