Bacewicz: Sting Quartet No.4, Piano Quintet No.1 – Karski Quartet

This recording marks an important addition to the discography of Grażyna Bacewicz, a composer whose growing recognition stems from the exceptional quality of her music and its direct resonance with listeners. The String Quartet No. 4 (1951) and Piano Quintet No. 1 (1952) embody these qualities, offering a clear testimony to such qualities and an ideal path to approach Bacewicz’s distinctive voice. The performances are no less than idiomatic, delivered with conviction and freshness by a young, leading Polish-Belgian string quartet: the inspiring enthusiasm conveyed by the members of the Karski Quartet has a communicative drive that inevitably infects the listener.

From the journal of Maria Modlińska: “11 December 1951, Warsaw, Tuesday. O joy! Wonderful weather for Grażyna’s return from Belgium. […] I waited at home with tea and cake. The table set, the apartment decorated with flowers. The plane was two hours late, they arrived at home around six. Grażyna, though very tired and slimmed down, was in an excellent mood. […] She told us about performing in the embassy in Brussels, in Liège and in other cities. Recording for the radio. 8 concerts in total. Everywhere huge success, and award ceremony on the 8th. […] her 4th String Quartet, awarded with the 1st prize at the international competition in Liège, played at every concert by the Quatuor Municipal de Liège. […] She was received very enthusiastically, cordially, and they expressed much interest in her compositions – they will play them.”