Masecki / Markowicz / A fresh look at Brahms’ music

Music as light as a feather

Paul Hindemith is among the most underrated artists of the 20th century. Anyone who listens to his Kammermusik, op. 24 no. 1, a genuinely sparkling with ideas and light as a feather piece of music, will come to this conclusion. This architect of the cornerstone of historical performance and founding father of the famous Donaueschingen Contemporary Music Festival embodied the dominant ideals of the New Objectivity in German art of the 1920s, namely simplicity of means and communicativeness, in his Chamber Music series. It is a peculiar variety of neo-classicism, unjustly overshadowed by French or Russian music. The third movement in Kammermusik (op. 36 no. 3) is essentially a chamber cello concerto with explicit references to Baroque music. It is not without reason, after all, that this entire series has been compared to Bach's Brandenburg Concertos. Surprisingly similar in its spirit tone, although referring to the classical form and not devoid of stronger emotional accents, is the Sinfonietta of the then-only 18-year-old Benjamin Britten, already heralding his extraordinary talent. Adam SuprynowiczConcert duration: approximately 70 minutes

Eliot Quartet / Music with a sense of humor

Haydn wrote the Quartet in C major op. 54 No. 2, both virtuosic and exceptionally deep in its artistry, with Johann Tost, a violinist of the Esterhazy orchestra he was leading, in mind. Much to his surprise, he later learnt that the musician had sold the work to the publisher Seiber, keeping all money for himself. What was more, the quartet was published with changes unauthorised by Haydn. In his Quartet No. 3, Brahms obviously references the Viennese classic, creating a work of classical subjectivity, with all-encompassing sense of humour, and a tiny bit of the romantic emotionality in the slow movement, reminding us clearly of that being a completely different era already. Krzysztof Meyer, in turn, freely admits that the composition Au-delà d’une absence is a quartet in the style of his teacher, Dmitri Shostakovich. It is an attempt at continuing the Russian composer’s unfinished plan of writing 24 string quartets in all keys. An interesting and successful attempt, let us add. Adam SuprynowiczConcert duration (intermission included): approximately 100 minutes

Great works of music

Why not play piano concertos as a chamber ensemble? It would be impossible to show rational obstacles. In the times before the phonograph, that was exactly how people learnt great works of music that were not being performed at a concert hall near them. Privately, at home, at meetings, making music together. It is the meeting of artistic individualities and their willingness to collaborate that give chamber music its sense. Hence the presence of Chopin’s Concerto in E minor in the version for five instruments today, on the 175th death anniversary of this most important Polish musician of all. For the same reason, its counterpoint will be the famous Trout, Schubert’s masterpiece which introduced the early romantic sensitivity to chamber music. This is music derived from the spirit of a simple song. These two romantic build up layers of human emotions, activate affections and pile up associations. This is all we need. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes

Instrumental music at its finest

Chamber music but with symphonic flair

It is a rare opportunity to listen to an octet. This type of ensemble on the verge of chamber and orchestral music involving eight instruments has had a variety of instrumentations and patterns based on them. The reference point for the purely stringed ensemble cast is the octet written in 1825 by Felix Mendelssohn, who was only sixteen years old then. Following in his footsteps in 1900 was the nineteen-year-old George Enescu, who was by then already quite prolific as a composer, as he began making music as soon as he learned the notes at the age of five. As it turned out, he grew into the greatest Romanian composer and one of the most outstanding violinists of his era. Written in 1900, his String Octet in C major is an incredibly up-to-date work compared to the trends of the time as Enescu captured the difficult moment of Romanticism's transition into Modernism. Despite being divided into four movements, it is essentially a continuous piece with orchestral panache and rich expression. All of this makes it no worse than many symphonies! Adam SuprynowiczConcert duration: approximately 80 minutes

Beautiful like a storm / Lukas Sternath’s piano recital

Robert Schumann composed his last piano piece communicating with his fears. He claimed that ghosts were playing music that was both most beautiful and repulsing especially for him, revealing their secrets and threatening him with hell. As the artist left us used to his music being interpreted through the lens of his private life, excessive interpretations and negations of this unusual and beautiful cycle of variations’ worth are not uncommon. It is just as “mad” as Franz Liszt’s Sonata in B minor is “sane”, the latter being a striking drama of symphonic breadth, enclosed within a single-movement form, destructive and beautiful like a storm. How will this background work together with a new piece by Patricia Kopatchinskaya, composer known for playing with classics, finding hidden meanings and enlivening concert programmes? Let us learn. Adam Suprynowicz Concert duration: approximately 80 minutes

Memoirs of a Geisha and other gems of cinematography

This is the essence of chamber musicianship – we play what we like. We play for pleasure - our own and that of our listeners. The idea of chamber music is summarised in the Italian term da camera, which means playing for a chamber, a room, or a small hall. It denotes semi-private, intimate music. It is lovely when such a mood is carried into the concert hall. Today, there is an opportunity to do so because we love the tunes we already know, and there are plenty of them here. Most listeners will recognise Sting's Roxanne, Satie's Gnosienne or Barber's Adagio. Exactly like in the programme Name That Tune, after two sounds, we will already know what's coming next. Concert hall goers, on the other hand, will once again be seduced by gripping Schubert's Andante or Arvo Pärt's Fratres. Lovers of cinematic melodramas will get a handful of John Williams tunes, while refined musical gourmets will get Glass's Mishima, Vasks' Meditation and Schnittke's waltz. Not a single note goes to waste here! Adam Suprynowicz

MUSIC FOR A FUTURE WITHOUT GUARANTEES

How to deal with the uncertainty of the future? Together with the audience, singer Zola Mennenöh and composer Max Andrzejewski set out in search of musical answers. Inspired by the artist and researcher Lisa Nyberg, they use poetic song lyrics and chamber music with influences from new music and jazz to encourage openness, curiosity and hope in dealing with uncertainty. ‘Our times demand that we learn new skills,’ write Mennenöh and Andrzejewski - including ’actions that involve our body and our feelings and thus awaken self-efficacy and creative power.’ In contact with the audience, the result is a concert evening with chamber music, improvisation and spoken word that transcends formats and genres. The event will be held in English.

JazzKLUB / Tomeka Reid Quartet / Three string instruments and drums at post-bop gallop

In 2022, when Tomeka Reid was granted the MacArthur Fellowship, also known as the “genius grant”, critics aware of her achievement had no doubt that the prestigious award was in the right hands. Reid’s cello parts have contributed to the sound of the flagship bands of the Chicago scene over the last two decades, since her 2002 debut with Nicole Mitchell. The artists’s quartet concept consists of three string instruments and drums – the very idea of such a composition of the star-studded band intriguing in itself. The quartet’s musicians are equally comfortable at post-bop gallop, in patulous blues, and in swinging ballad – creative reworkings of tradition being Reid’s composing specialty. Every piece is churning with ideas and energy (and sometimes even a sense of humour), all the bandmembers’ originality and propensity for free-jazz experiments making every second of the ensemble’s music worth of the listener’s attention. Tomasz Gregorczyk Concert duration: approximately 90 minutes

A Music Kaleidoscope

Attention! All music lovers are cordially invited to a great display of virtuosity! A trumpet in one corner, percussion in another, and a piano between them. The viola, often underestimated, will try to reconcile them. Each instrument will showcase its unique capabilities. What do you think – will they perform better solo, or is it worth joining forces and playing as an ensemble? Younger and older listeners will be told about the history and construction of these instruments. We’ll also consider why they sound so dignified, while not shying away from numerous musical embellishments.