Weinberg: String Quartets Nos. 11-13 Silesian Quartet, Arkadiusz Kubica, Łukasz Syrnicki, Piotr Janosik

• Mieczysław Weinberg (1919 - 1996): String Quartet No. 11, Op. 89:
• 1 String Quartet No. 11, Op. 89: I. Allegro assai 06:13
• 2 String Quartet No. 11, Op. 89: II. Allegretto 03:04
• 3 String Quartet No. 11, Op. 89: III. Adagio semplice 04:55
• 4 String Quartet No. 11, Op. 89: IV. Allegro leggiero 05:44
• String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103:
• 5 String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103: I. Largo 06:44
• 6 String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103: II. Allegretto 05:06
• 7 String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103: III. Presto 06:01
• 8 String Quartet No. 12, Op. 103: IV. Moderato 10:59
• 9 String Quartet No. 13, Op. 118 13:32
• Total Runtime 01:02:18

Info for Weinberg: String Quartets Nos. 11-13

The concert repertoire can be viewed as an ocean into which two distinct rivers flow. One carries music works inspired first and foremost by emotions. The ancient Greeks believed that music was born out of despair; the cries of Medusa in the face of imminent death inspired Athene to play moving tunes on her aulos. In most cases, it is the feeling of nostalgia, sadness, even despair that provides impulses for music composition. Wajnberg’s string quartets presented on this album clearly belong to this emotional current in music – especially the Eleventh and the Thirteenth. But ancient Greeks also told the story of Hermes finding the shell of a dried tortoise with a few tense sinews still left. When plucked, they produced sounds, which inspired the god to build a lyre. Here we come to the second river of repertoire – pieces of music born out of curiosity. This river swelled to great heights in the 20th century, when many artists sought new means of expression. Some innovative solutions can be found in Wajnberg’s two quarters from his later period, particularly in the Twelfth. Mieczyslaw Wajnberg’s imposing output of compositions includes 17 quartets, 22 symphonies, 9 concertos, 7 cantatas, more than 50 pieces of chamber music for various instrumental complements, as well as nearly 30 song cycles and 8 operas. Composing was his life’s greatest passion, virtually regardless of what was going to happen to his works after they were completed. He filled page after page with music notes nearly every day, as though music were his refuge in which to hide from the many dangers and calamities of life. This release features the String Quartets nos. 11-13 performed by one of Poland’s leading chamber ensembles, the Silesian Quartet.

Silesian Quartet

The Silesian String Quartet
is one of the leading chamber ensembles in Poland. In its earliest years it honed its craft under the tutelage of members of such quartets as LaSalle, Amadeus, Juilliard, Smetana, and Alban Berg.

Today, the Silesian String Quartet enjoys international renown, performing on concert stages in the majority of European countries as well as in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and South Korea. It has appeared in such prestigious venues as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Konzerthaus in Vienna, De Singel in Antwerp, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Hoam Art Hall in Seoul, and Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The ensemble’s repertoire draws on the masterpieces of the chamber music canon, with a strong focus on the works of contemporary composers.

The chamber musicians of Silesia boast a very rich discography. They have recorded music from many eras, with special emphasis on Polish music from the last three decades. Their recordings can be found on over 50 albums released on such labels as Chandos, ECM, EMI Poland, Olympia, CD Accord, and Radio Katowice. Six of them have been singled out for Fryderyk Awards of the Polish Phonographic Industry in the category of Best Chamber Music Album. Since 1993, the ensemble had organised the International Chamber Music Festival Silesian String Quartet and Guests, which in its past 25 editions has welcomed several dozen outstanding artists from Poland and abroad.

The Silesian String Quartet has also been the recipient of numerous prizes and distinctions, among the most important of which are the Gold Cross of Merit (1999), the Orpheus Award for the best performance of a piece by a Polish composer during the Warsaw Autumn Festival (2002), the Honorary Gold Badge for Services to the Silesia Province (2005), and the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2008).

Booklet for Weinberg: String Quartets Nos. 11-13