11th Kwartesencja

The Royal String Quartet, the hosts of Kwartesencja, are the authors of the concept and, since 2004, the organizers of the festival which presents numerous takes on the medium of a string quartet. Apart from classics, it puts a strong focus on new music. New takes on Henryk Mikołaj Górecki or George Crumb's musical pieces have generated a wide discussion, while Paweł Szymański, Wojciech Blecharz and Andrzej Kwieciński have written new music with the RSQ in mind. The quartet's musicians have shared the stage in Warsaw with the legendary Stephen Kovacevich, Ingolf Wunder, the esteemed modern pianist Angela Hewitt, the great Mark Padmore, but also Kayah, Stanisława Celińska (“Nowa Warszawa” project), Kwadrofonik or Kapela ze wsi Warszawa. The stars of the best philharmonics playing together with alternative music stars is something that can only happen during Kwartesencja. The guests from the other side of the music “barricade” give the festival an additional dimension and a laid-back, informal atmosphere of a friendly social gathering.

This year's guest is Barbara Kinga Majewska, an artist who makes use of all of the rich possibilities of the human voice. Those who remember her performances in Instalakcja, “Victory over the Sun” or Mykietyn's “The Magic Mountain” certainly know this concert cannot be missed.

Marcin Stańczyk on the premiere of his new music piece: “Afterimages and aftersounds have accompanied me for a long time, but they take on different forms. Once, as with W. Strzemiński, they were a festival of colors. Now they are more relatable to A. Giacometti's poetics of shadows, they will be achromatic. A shadow is in fact a perfect afterimage. Perhaps a shadow is also an aftersound. This music will not be colorful...”