Polish Music Scene

Metropolis Piano Quartet, photo: Grzesiek Mart These three realisations of the piano quartet, a rare genre in chamber music, by Polish composers – Józef Deszczyński (Quartet for Piano, Violin, Viola and Cello, Op. 39, published in 1828), Zygmunt Noskowski (Piano Quartet, Op. 8, 1876) and Aleksander Tansman (Suite-divertissement, 1929) – have in common not only the fact that they were forgotten works for most of the twentieth century, but also that when they returned to the repertoire in the new century, they proved a revelation for critics and audiences. Despite their different times of composition and purpose (Deszczyński's Quartet was written as a salon piece, while the works by Noskowski and Tansman were to be performed in the concert hall), all three works are characterised by an excellent mastery of form and technique. They were written by composers who were all accomplished instrumentalists, as is evident from their masterful handling of the difficult piano and string textures. Finally, all three composers encoded a message of Polishness in their quartets: Deszczyński by introducing a polonaise, Noskowski with a krakowiak, Tansman by evoking the echo of a native lullaby. Magdalena Dziadek The Polish Music Scene is a programme of music organised by the National Institute of Music and Dance in collaboration with the Warsaw Philharmonic and financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. We present Polish artists and Polish compositions – particularly works not often performed. We wish to promote the performance of Polish music, inspire musicians to turn to this repertoire and generate interest among audiences in Polish musical output as broadly understood. The programme is open to instrumentalists and singers, soloists and chamber ensembles. The programmes featuring Polish music, selected via a competition, will be performed in the Chamber Music Hall of the Warsaw Philharmonic and at other concert venues around Poland.