Henryk Górecki
“When the Kronos premiered the Second Quartet in New York, Górecki came. At a rehearsal, he was a monster, stomping the stage, singing parts with a ferocity or an otherworldliness that overwhelmed the room. He also, when he finally noticed that there were observers, kicked everyone out in a rage. The Kronos captures all of that.”
This album collects Kronos’ recording of Polish composer Henryk Górecki’s second string quartet with that of his first, which Kronos previously released on Already It Is Dusk / “Lerchenmusik”. Both pieces were commissioned by Lincoln Center and dedicated to Kronos.
From Adrian Thomas’ liner notes: “Quasi una Fantasia shares some preoccupations with these [Already It Is Dusk and “Lerchenmusik”] and other predecessors: the slow pulsing opening is characteristic, as are the monodic fragments that gradually unfold in the first movement. These back-references to Górecki’s heritage in the Polish Catholic church and its music are matched by his rock-like belief in the values of Polish folk culture… However we may surmise his creative intentions, Górecki has composed in Quasi una Fantasia a stark and passionate confrontation of musical ideas that follow in a long line of potent visions which he initiated more than 35 years ago.”
SELECT CREDITS
Kronos Quartet
David Harrington, violin
John Sherba, violin
Hank Dutt, viola
Joan Jeanrenaud, cello
Produced by Judith Sherman
Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz
Released by Nonesuch Records
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