Szymanowski Focus - Curated by Piotr Anderszewski

Wigmore favourite the Belcea Quartet continues its wide-ranging exploration of the quartet repertoire by pairing Bartók’s well-known First Quartet with both essays in the genre by Karol Szymanowski.

Their sources in the respective folk musics of Hungary/Romania and Poland should provide fascinating cross-references which will also inform the contributions of leading Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski and his colleagues, violinist Henning Kraggerud and soprano Iwona Sobotka.

The music of Poland’s greatest pre-Second World War master is currently being rediscovered and re-evaluated and this showcase of some of Szymanowski’s mesmerising genius will surely hasten this process. The two-day mini-fest, curated by Piotr Anderszewski, will also enrich the context of his music with the Violin Sonata of his Moravian contemporary Leos Janácek, whose reputation has similarly undergone a dramatic transformation in recent years.

Anderszewski’s appearance will also gratify his many fans by including some solo piano works to round off a satisfying feast of chamber music-making.