I absolutely adore this piece. Hence I decided to borrow it out of the library and give it a go! Here are my notes I received after my lesson yesterday - only played a few bars of it though.
Really enjoy the top E! After all, it's a polonaise!
There are 2 breaks in the first phrase - one after the top E, the second after the first A.
Don't forget that accent on the first A.
Don't play around with the rhythm too much in the 3rd and 4th bar of the solo passage. Just go for it and get to bar 6.
Finally enjoy the chord of bar 6! Play it likes it's a huge 4-string chord and aim for the top B. Then just go as fast as you can. *chuckle*
Have a bite - like a little chick (!) - in the ba-dum-ba-dum passage - more precisely, bar 7.
More notes:
Imagine a royal Polish ballroom filled with dancing, a banquet and music!
In the fluttery lines, such as bar 3 of violin line, think of a mazurka (Polish folk dance).
Up bow staccato: lots of marteles - requires bite and attack at the front of the note. However, note that it's what come after the attack that creates the body of sound you hear.
The trills contain 5 sounds - finger presses string twice.
Bar 7 of violin line: attack on first F#, then release the sound on following G and F# - this will create the martele effect.
Remember: "it is better to play excellent but slow, than fast but terrible."