Karol Szymanowski Quartet performs a piece by its Polish namesake at the Vancouver Playhouse, March 12

Concert hosted by Friends of Chamber Music also features Romantic-era works by Haydn, Britten, and Mendelssohn

By emily lyth

Karol Szymanowski Quartet.

Friends of Chamber Music presents the Karol Szymanowski Quartet at the Vancouver Playhouse on March 12 at 7:30 pm

GIVEN THE KAROL Szymanowski Quartet’s home base is in Warsaw, Poland, it’s only fitting that the ensemble’s namesake composer is one of the greatest Polish musical minds in history.

Born in 1882, Szymanowski’s musical style veered in many directions up until his death in 1937. A period of isolation during World War I led to a Greek drama-inspired diversity in his music; the following decade, he decided to follow Chopin’s footsteps in an attempt to create a national Polish sound that drew from the country’s folk music; and shortly before his death, he had a brief stint directing the now-closed Warsaw Conservatory, where he had once been a student (and where Chopin had studied some 70 years prior).

The Karol Szymanowski Quartet, which has been praised by The Strad’s Paul Cutts as having “superb technical control, innate musicality, and an extraordinary sense of ensemble,” honours its namesake’s impact on Poland by continuously playing and drawing inspiration from his catalogue.

Vancouver audiences may remember the group, which has been performing for nearly 30 years, from its last Friends of Chamber Music concert in 2018—the musicians played Mozart’s six string quintets alongside Takács Quartet violist Richard O’Neill.

This time around at the Vancouver Playhouse, listeners will hear both early and late Romantic music: Haydn’s String Quartet No. 1 in B-flat Major, Opus 1, Hob III:1, “La Chasse”; Britten’s String Quartet No. 3, Opus 94; Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 2 in A Minor, Opus 13; and Szymanowski’s Nocturne & Tarantella for String Quartet, Opus 28 (arranged by Myroslav Skoryk). The latter juxtaposes soaring elegance with impressionistic overtones.

More information about tickets, which are being offered at a discounted price of $15 apiece for full-time students, is available through Friends of Chamber Music.  

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