Chicago Philharmonic 2018-2019

10 FALL 2018 | THE CHICAGO PHILHARMONIC SOCIETY 2018 2019 SEASON: THE SILESIAN QUARTET Henryk Górecki (1933 -2010) String Quartet No. 1, Op. 62 (1988) “Already it is dusk” Górecki was perhaps the most famous of all Polish composers of the late 20 th century. He was 35 years old and rather late in his career when he began to write his rst string quartet (commissioned by the Kronos Quartet in San Francisco), but the work displays the composer’s signature extreme dynamic contrasts, high energy, and wide textural range. e title of the piece comes from a 16 th century motet and children’s prayer by Polish Renaissance composer Wacław z Szamotuł: Already dusk is falling, night closes in, Let us beseech the Lord for help, To be our guardian, To protect us from wicked devils, Who especially under cover of darkness Pro t from their cunning. In addition to the title of the work, Górecki reuses the tenor line of the motet by introducing it as thematic chorale-like material at the beginning of the piece. is introspective melody is interrupted four times by brash, dissonant chords played at full volume. e initial chorale is contrasted with a rough, earthy dance marked Deciso – Energico likely inspired by the composer’s time spent in the village of Chochołów in the foothills of the Tatra Mountains. A er a series of open hs (also evoking Polish folk music), the piece returns to the motet chorale, slowly dissipating into a series of lovely sonorous chords to end the piece. Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933) String Quartet No. 3 (2008) “Leaves of an Unwritten Diary” Krzysztof Penderecki is one of the most outstanding and in uential Polish composers of the 20 th century, with a long and complex career full of contradictions and style changes. Beginning his career as an avant-garde composer a er the SecondWorldWar, his innovative pieces were o en considered groundbreaking or controversial. Prior to the 1970's, he was known for his intention of “liberating sound beyond all tradition”, focusing on extended technique, experimental textures, and unconventional scoring. Later in his career, Penderecki turned to a more traditional style, inspired by Romantic composers such as Pyotr Tchaikovsky and Anton Bruckner. Penderecki’s String Quartet No. 3 draws from both the avant-garde and neo- romanticism. e piece was commissioned by the Shanghai String Quartet and premiered at a special 75 th birthday concert in Warsaw honoring the composer. Uncharacteristically for Penderecki, he gave the piece a sentimental subtitle (“Leaves of an Unwritten Diary”) and described it as a kind of musical autobiography recalling various stages of his life. Written in one movement, the string quartet can be broken into subsections, beginning with a brief Grave introduction with a dark, atonal viola melody. e following Vivace section suggests Penderecki’s earlier avant-garde period (some thirty years prior to the creation of String Quartet No. 3), driving forward with virtuosic extended technique. e Tempo di valse is a halting, sentimental waltz that serves as a warm-up to the Adagio Notturno , which is written in the composer’s neo-romantic style and takes cues from 19 th century composers such as Johannes Brahms. A er recapitulations of the Vivace and other alternating sections, the string quartet ends with a contemplative fadeaway. e Silesian Quartet Szymon Krzeszowiec violin Arkadiusz Kubica violin Łukasz Syrnicki viola Piotr Janosik cello e Silesian Quartet, winner of multiple awards and distinctions both in its native Poland and abroad, is one of the country’s leading chamber music ensembles. Its members – Szymon Krzeszowiec and Arkadiusz Kubica on violin, Łukasz Syrnicki on viola, and Piotr Janosik on cello – spent the early years of their career developing their abilities under the supervision of musicians from such quartets as the LaSalle, Amadeus, Juilliard, Smetana, and Alban Berg string quartets. Today, the ensemble enjoys international renown, giving concerts throughout the world. It has performed in such famous venues as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Wiener Konzerthaus, deSingel in Antwerp, Berliner Schauspielhaus, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Hoam Art Hall in Seoul, and Sala de las Bellas Artes in Mexico City. e Quartet performs the canon of great chamber music masterpieces, but also devotes special attention to the music of our time. Its extensive discography includes recordings of music from many di erent eras, with particular emphasis on Polish music from the last three decades. Among its more than forty CDs, its set of Bacewicz’s complete string quartets on Chandos won the Gramophone Award in the chamber music category in 2017 and three have won the Fryderyk Award of the Polish Phonographic Academy for the Best Chamber Music Album. For 25 years, " e Silesian Quartet and Its Guests" International Chamber Music Festival, organised annually by the Quartet, has attracted dozens of outstanding Polish and foreign artists. Photo by Magdalena Jodłowska