Silesian String Quartet / British Fantasy on the 110th anniversary of the birth of Andrzej Panufnik

“Music is the expression of emotions and feelings. I hold as my ideal a piece in which poetic content is combined with excellence of musical craftmanship. Poetry alone does not determine the musical value of a piece, just as craftmanship alone risks falling into a pitfall of using worn-out formulas. Enduring beauty is only born from a balance of both” Andrzej Panufnik (1952) Silesian String Quartet – 45 years of experience, more than 150 first performances of chamber works, thousands of concerts in the world's most famous concert halls, more than 60 albums, more than 20 nominations, 10 ‘Fryderyk’ statuettes and the most important – the ‘musical Oscar’, i.e., the Gramophone Classical Music Award. The ensemble specialises in the discovery, promotion and recording of Polish music and is famous for its first performances under the guidance of composers. Ditching the traditional hierarchical model of performing music, the ensemble emphasises exchange and collaboration with other musicians. This season, the artists will introduce the work of Sir Andrzej Panufnik on the 110th anniversary of the birth of the only Polish composer to be awarded a title of nobility by Queen Elizabeth II. The programme will be complemented by works by native British artists, i.e., Benjamin Britten, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Roxanna Panufnik. It includes Britten's composition Phantasy, op. 2, from which this year's entire cycle of the Silesian String Quartet concerts takes its name, i.e., British Phantasy. The piece is a fascinating example of his early work, as Britten was only 19 when he wrote it. Yet, it is already a reflection of both his personal musical experiences and the broader cultural context of England at the time. The composition was an artistic expression of his individuality and, simultaneously, a rebellious gesture against academic constraints. It was composed for a one-movement composition competition organised by Walter Willson Cobbett, a well-known chamber music lover, and draws on English music tradition from the 16th century. The programme will be complemented by Ralph Vaughan Williams' Quintet in D major and a work by Andrzej Panufnik's immensely successful daughter Roxanna, the string quartet Second Home, commissioned for the Festival of Premieres in 2007. Concert duration: approximately 100 minutes