Silesian String Quartet and Guests / Fifth Concert in the Series: Alexandre Tansman in France - NOSPR

The Silesian String Quartet first encountered the music of Alexandre Tansman at the very beginning of its artistic journey. In their own concert series, the musicians return to the work of a composer who has remained an important source of inspiration. The concerts under the title Alexandre Tansman in France form a coherent portrait of the Łódź-born composer who found his artistic home among the Parisian intellectual circles of the early 20th century. Together with invited guests, the Silesian String Quartet reveals the richness of Tansman’s chamber music while exploring the work of other composers from his French circle.

The final concert in the series will focus on the sound of strings, with the violin taking on the role of guide this time. The evening will open with Alexandre Tansman’s Sextuor à cordes of 1940 – a work dedicated to Igor Stravinsky, a close friend of the composer. From the outset, critics emphasised the work’s poetic character and the distinctive features of Tansman’s style. The very essence of this poetic quality will be found in Ernest Chausson’s Poème, best known in its version for violin and orchestra, but performed here in a chamber arrangement with piano and string quartet. The work was inspired by a short story by Ivan Turgenev, set in 16th-century Ferrara, in which a melody played on the violin has an important role. Chausson dedicated the work to Eugène Ysaÿe. Although the eminent violinist had hoped for a concerto, the composer ultimately chose a freer form, which proved better suited to the character of the work. The concert will conclude with the Concerto in D major, Op. 21, in which Chausson combined features of the double concerto and the sextet. The violin and piano lead the musical narrative, but the string quartet is by no means confined to an accompanying role, remaining an equal partner throughout.

Julia Broniowska / NOSPR

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