Szymanowski’s complex means to achieve simplicity
In the early 1900s, as Szymanowski transitioned from post-romantic to atonal writing, rich harmonic language was replaced with stark plainness, and his music became simpler and more direct. Whereas earlier, Szymanowski used the folk idiom to create greatly saturated and luscious music, 20 years later he resorted to complex musical means to achieve expressive simplicity.