Zygmunt Noskowski: String Quartets Meccore String Quartet

• Zygmunt Noskowski (1846 - 1909): Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Viotti:
• 1 Noskowski: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Viotti: I. Variations 06:11
• 2 Noskowski: Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Viotti: II. Fugue 03:30
• String Quartet No. 2:
• 3 Noskowski: String Quartet No. 2: I. Allegro serioso 13:04
• 4 Noskowski: String Quartet No. 2: II. Allegretto vivace 04:59
• 5 Noskowski: String Quartet No. 2: III. Andante doloroso 09:44
• 6 Noskowski: String Quartet No. 2: IV. Allegro gioioso 08:56
• Humorous Quartet "Whichever Way You Like It":
• 7 Noskowski: Humorous Quartet "Whichever Way You Like It" 04:18
• Total Runtime 50:42

Info for Zygmunt Noskowski: String Quartets

Zygmunt Noskowski, the influential Polish conductor and composer, is perhaps better remembered for his role as a teacher and mentor to later luminaries such as Karol Szymanowski and Mieczysław Karłowicz than for his own compositions; also, for his connection to Stanisław Moniuszko. Yet for much of the 19th century, he was Poland’s leading exponent of modern music and his works are central to the Polish tradition.

Following the Capriccio recordings of his symphonies (CD C5509 and C5547) this album presents a programme of his string quartets that again embody a veritable picture book of Polish Romanticism.

Meccore String Quartet

Meccore String Quartet
Established in 2007, the Meccore String Quartet is one of Europe’s most compelling ensembles. Since many years they have been a treat for music lovers and have performed in many prestigious concert halls such as the National Phil­harmonic Hall in Warsaw, Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid, Wigmore Hall in London, Bozar in Brussels, Musikverein in Vienna, Pollack Hall in Montreal, Frick Collection in New York. During their tours, the musicians appear at the most important music festivals such as Rheingau Musik Festival, Festspiele Meck­lenburg-Vorpommern, L. van Beethoven Easter Festival, Budapest Spring Festival, Heidelberg Frühling Musikfestival, Kissinger Sommer Musikfestival, Festival Radio France Montpellier, Bregenzer Festspiele. The ensemble had the honour to perform, as the first ever Polish String Quartet, during the ceremony on Holocaust Remembrance Day in the German Bundestag.

The quartet has received numerous awards during prestigious chamber music competitions. In 2012 Meccore won a 2nd prize, as well as awards for the best per­formance of classical string quartets, and for the best performance of Brett Dean’s obligatory composition at the Wigmore Hall String Quartet Competition in London. A year earlier they obtained the finalist award and the special award for the best perfor­mance of the obligatory composition by Giya Kancheli at the International String Quartet Competition “Premio Paolo Borciani” in Reggio Emilia. In 2010 the quartet won the 1st prize at the International Chamber Music Competition in Weiden (2nd and 3rd prizes were not awarded) as well as the 1st prize of the Max Reger International Chamber Music Competition in Sondershausen. A number of international distinctions brought the Meccore String Quartet nomination for the “Paszport Polityki” award in the clas­sical music category for their “innovative approach to the music and for breaking the musical stereotypes”.

The quartet was at first tutored by the members of the Camerata Quartet. They then studied with the Artemis Quartet at the Universität der Künste in Berlin and Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels. Meccore String Quartet further developed their skills with Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartet) at Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid. An important event in the artistic life of the quartet was their participation in the course on interpretation of Ludwig van Beethoven’s music held by Alfred Brendel.

With the support of the Irene Steels - Wilsing Stiftung the quartet released their debut CD album as well as their second disc, which was granted the “Supersonic Award” by the classical music magazine “Pizzicato” and received two nominations for the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry music award “Fryderyk 2016”. Their third album with string quartets by Edvard Grieg received many distinctions along with nominations for the “Fryderyk 2018” award and “Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik”. The album with String Quartets and Sextet “Souvenir de Florence” by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, featuring Isabel Charisius and Valentin Erben of the legendary Alban Berg Quartet, has been praised by reviewers and received the “Pizzicato Supersonic Award”.

The ensemble's latest CD release (2023, Capriccio - Naxos Group), dedicated to the chamber works of Krzysztof Penderecki, has taken the hearts of listeners around the world by storm and has received critical acclaim from international critics. So far, the album has been honoured with, among others, a nomination for the prestigious International Classical Music Award 2023, the Diapason d'Or award from Diapason magazine, the Supersonic award from Pizzicato magazine, the Radio Luxembourg Record of the Week award and a recommendation from Ritmo.es magazine.

The musicians have also accomplished numerous TV and radio recordings for Bayerischer Rundfunk, BBC Radio 3, Rai3, Radio Clásica RTVE, Radio Stephansdom, Radio Merkury and NDR Kultur, ZDF, Phoenix and WQXR. Their performance of Franz Schubert’s „Death and the Maiden” for Polish TV Kultura was nominated to the 2011 edition of “Gwarancje Kultury” award.

Meccore String Quartet hosted seven editions of the International Chamber Music Festival „Quarto Mondi”, introducing top musicians and ensembles of the international string quartet scene to Polish audiences.

Members of the Quartet are also active in the pedagogical field, leading chamber music and instrumental classes at Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan and Krzysztof Penderecki Music Academy in Cracow.

This album contains no booklet.