Proms at … Cadogan Hall 7: Silesian String Quartet - 2.09.19

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

13:00 Monday 2 September 2019
Cadogan Hall

Grazyna Bacewicz: Piano Quintet No. 1
Mieczyslaw Weinberg: String Quartet No. 7

Wojciech Switala piano
Silesian String Quartet ensemble

Celebrations of the 100th anniversary of Mieczysław Weinberg – the composer Shostakovich famously hailed as his musical successor – continue with an all-Polish programme from the first half of the 20th century that sets Weinberg’s own music alongside that of his great contemporary Grażyna Bacewicz.

Folk themes take on a new sophistication, cleverly manipulated and moulded in Bacewicz’s mature masterpiece the Piano Quintet No. 1.

Poland’s award-winning Silesian String Quartet are joined here by pianist Wojciech Świtała.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Does anyone out there know either of these works?

[Edgy 2]

Does anyone out there know either of these works?

Weinberg’s 7th is one of his finest Quartets I think,I find the opening Adagio quite heart wrenching.
I like the Bacewicz Quintet too,some of the music inhabits the same brooding sound world as the Weinberg,especially the ‘Grave’ slow movement.

Here is Szpilman,The Pianist.

[edashtav]

I'm looking forward to this Concert... I thoroughly enjoy Bacewicz's (use soft 'c's when pronouncing) music which can be described as by a wiry daughter of Bela Bartok and I'm hoping that the serious traditions of string quartets will inhibit Weinberg's tendency to be garrulous about not a lot.
Family circumstances may mean I must resort to iPlayer.

[doversoul1]

1.18pm
It sounds very good (to me)

[bluestateprommer]

Excellent concert from Cadogan Hall of Weinberg and Bacewicz, splendidly done by the Silesian SQ and Wojciech Świtała, well worth your time on iPlayer. Petroc mentioned that the parts of Weinberg's Quartet No. 7 were very much an homage to his mentor, DSCH. This aspect definitely struck me in the 2nd movement, which I felt (to mis-paraphrase Boulez on DSCH) to be the 2nd/3rd pressing of DSCH. Still, I'm very glad to hear something different, and MW's Quartet No. 7 was a new listening experience for me. Extrapolating from edashtav's overall evaluation, I found the Bacewicz to be the more compelling in its overall invention of the two works.

[edashtav]

Excellent concert from Cadogan Hall of Weinberg and Bacewicz, splendidly done by the Silesian SQ and Wojciech Świtała, well worth your time on iPlayer. Petroc mentioned that the parts of Weinberg's Quartet No. 7 were very much an homage to his mentor, DSCH. This aspect definitely struck me in the 2nd movement, which I felt (to mis-paraphrase Boulez on DSCH) to be the 2nd/3rd pressing of DSCH. Still, I'm very glad to hear something different, and MW's Quartet No. 7 was a new listening experience for me. Extrapolating from edashtav's overall evaluation, I found the Bacewicz to be the more compelling in its overall invention of the two works.

I shall review the two works in separate threads. Originally, the Weinberg was programmed after the Bacewicz Piano Quintet. I think the reverse order worked well.

This was the first time that I'd encountered Weinberg's 7th in C. I found it easy to understand in the wonderfully characterised and cogent performance by the masterful Silesian Quartet. The work did not outstay its welcome but I
expected more depth and tension in the first and third movements : both containing much music marked adagio. Maybe, there was a struggle in the first movement but the facile almost matter of fact resolution at its end told me that Weinberg was skating on firm ice unaware of the freezing blackness beneath that would have been exposed by his friend DSCH. The middle movement: allegretto was charming, tuneful, slightly jazzed-up by pseudo-Shostakovian sardonic comments. It did remind me of Weinberg's excellence when scoring music.
The tripartite finale developed its material in decent fashion, but never showed that it was possible to write novel music in the key of C in 1957.

Shostakovich : Weinberg is akin to Mendelssohn : Gade.

[edashtav]

I know Bacewicz's first Piano Quintet from a Naxos CD. It's a compelling piece, sharply etched which combines rhythmic sections with more lyrical episodes. Bacewicz doesn'twaste motes, she writes what she means, and puts her pen down. She doesn't dawdle and there are times when wish that she had relaxed a tad and amplified her bare bones. An excellent performance by the Silesian Quartet and pianist, Wojciech Switala... better, on first acquaintance than that on my CD.