antarja

Early 2023 saw the release of our latest CD of works for string quartet by married composers: Grażyna and Andrzej Krzanowski.

Andrzej Krzanowski’s composition, String Quartet No. 3 from 1988, is the culmination of the now mature work of the prematurely deceased artist. Dedicated to Witold Lutosławski, the work contains numerous self-quotations and draws on a rich range of expressive musical means, which requires technical proficiency and great maturity from the performers. Grażyna Krzanowska’s compositions, on the other hand, comprise two quartets and an Adagietto for a string quartet, seemingly very different from each other, yet infused with a similar emotional climate. The first of these, String Quartet No. 2, has a musical narrative defined by a programme that expresses a quest, a hesitation between seriousness and playfulness. String Quartet No. 3 is also based on contrasts, oscillating between a choral cantilena and a ‘wild’, exuberant dance. The ‘Adagietto’, a very heterogeneous piece that uses various stylistic devices, is also multi-faceted, which is reflected in the musical layer of the piece.