Penderecki

The acoustics of the symphony hall of the Szczecin Philharmonic have already won deserved fame. It was in this space, known as an "acoustic gem", that the Fryderyk-winning Atom String Quartet recorded its album of works by Krzysztof Penderecki.

Atom String Quartet is one of the most intriguing string quartets around and one of the finest jazz ensembles in Poland. The group joins the possibilities of the string quartet with improvisation in the broadest sense. Its many appearances at the Szczecin Philharmonic as artist-in-residence enjoyed enormous popularity — all the more reason for the Philharmonic to take part in the quartet's newest material and to publish the album.

The record holds arrangements of works by one of the greatest Polish composers, Krzysztof Penderecki: the Capriccio for solo tuba, the Three Miniatures for clarinet and piano, the Three Pieces in Old Style, the Suite for solo cello and the Prelude for solo clarinet.

"The programme's main axis is formed by chamber and solo works for wind instruments from the Master's youthful period, interleaved with the Three Pieces in Old Style. Vitality, drive and energy are the essential features of the chosen works. They naturally became a pretext for the quartet's further explorations; in its characteristic way the group interprets Penderecki's works and sets them in an entirely new context. There is respect for the written notes on the one hand, and on the other bold formal decisions that frame the improvised passages," say the musicians.

The album's visual side is the work of Łukasz Bogdanowicz — an artist full of passion, creator of remarkable illustrations, graphic designs and visual identities — who also illustrated the Philharmonic's previous release, "Lucid Dream" by Michał Wróblewski and Radiostatik.