What links Poland and Finland together? Both of them achieved independence about a hundred years ago, Poland regaining its statehood in the aftermath of the First World War for the first time since the Third Partition in 1795. The imperial partitioning powers – Russia, Austro-Hungary and Germany – had either lost or were gripped by civil war. The effects on the Russian Empire of the October Revolution in 1917 also benefited Finland, which managed to throw off the fetters of both Russian and Swedish occupation. For Poland, Frédéric Chopin was and is a national hero, an icon. The fact that he spent the second half of his life in France and is buried in Paris is neither here nor there. His heart at least is at rest in Warsaw’s Kreuzkirche. The International Chopin Competition, a major national event, has been held in Warsaw since 1927. For the Finns it is Jean Sibelius – who hardly ever left Finland – who plays the role of national hero. His 2nd Symphony is known in Finland as the Symphony of Independence on account of its aggressive finale, though whether that was the composer’s intention remains unclear to this day. Krzysztof Penderecki’s Polish Requiem contains numerous socio-political references: the Agnus Dei is dedicated to Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, who symbolized spiritual resistance to Poland’s communist regime.