Record Reviews

ATOM STRING QUARTET / SZCZECIN PHILHARMONIC WIND QUARTET ~ KARLOWICZ RECOMPOSED FILHARMONIA SZCZECIN 015 ~ POLAND ~ Jazz-Classical Fusion Recorded: 2020 Released: 2021 This is the 7th album by the Polish Atom String QuartetFind albums by this artist, recorded in cooperation with the Szczecin Philharmonic Wind QuartetFind albums by this artist, dedicated to the compositions by Polish Classical composer Mieczyslaw KarlowiczFind albums by this artist, concentrating on his songs for voice and piano, which he composed to poems by Polish Romantic Poets and poets of the Young Poland movement like Kazimierz Przerwa-TetmajerFind albums by this artist. The eleven songs presented on the album have been arranged and / or “recomposed” by the members of the Atom String Quartet: violinists Dawid LubowiczFind albums by this artist and Mateusz SmoczynskiFind albums by this artist, violist Michal ZaborskiFind albums by this artist and cellist Krzysztof LenczowskiFind albums by this artist. The beautifully melodic and deeply romantic original music by Karlowicz, which is saturated with Polish Folklore, was transposed quite dramatically into contemporary musical environment, brilliantly using the balance between the string quartet, which improvises and plays polyrhythmically, and the wind quartet which faithfully represents the original compositions, allowing the string quartet members to create the magic, which they do ever so gracefully. The arrangements and the performances are all brilliant from start to finish, creating a superb listening experience, which the Atom String Quartet followers expect time after time and which so far the quartet managed to deliver without a hitch, which by itself is an unprecedented success. Although the music on this album has only limited direct links with Jazz, the spirit of Jazz is of course present here, as on all their albums, with the spirit of Freedom and Creativity at the helm. It is quite an unusual album in their recording legacy, but on the other hand there is no such thing as a “normal” album when the Atom String Quartet involved. Overall this is a masterful piece of Polish / European music, which pays tribute to the Cultural legacy and manages to remain contemporary and up to date. Brilliant music and breathtaking performance skills leave absolutely no prisoners. Hats off!

Updated: 27/06/2024Posted: 08/07/2021

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