Józef Elsner - String Quartets, Op. 8 (Equilibrium String Quartet)

Information

Composer: Józef Elsner

• String Quartet in C Major, Op. 8 No. 1
• String Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op. 8 No. 2
• String Quartet in D Minor, Op. 8 No. 3

Equilibrium String Quartet

    Adam Pastuszka, violin

    Małgorzata Malke, violin

    Anna Nowak-Pokrzywińska, viola

    Tomasz Pokrzywiński, cello

Date: 2019

Label: CD Accord

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Review

Józef Elsner was one of the most important composers in early 19th Century Poland. He wrote 38 operas, eight symphonies, over 70 masses, and oratorios, dozens of chamber works, and more. Yet he’s remembered for one thing: he was Fredrick Chopin’s piano teacher.

This release helps remove Elsner from his famous pupil’s shadow. The Op. 8 string quartets were composed around 1796, placing them more in the Classical rather than Romantic era.

They’re interesting works. Elsner is crediting with incorporating Polish folk music into his work, but that would come later. These quartets all use the same language as Haydn and Mozart.

Although all three quartets are about the same length, they vary in structure. Quartet No. 1 in C major has but two movements, the second being a theme and variations. Elsner’s use of materials reminded me strongly of Haydn.

Quartet No. 2 in E-flat major has four short movements. The mood here is lighter, with Elsner leaning more towards Mozart.

Quartet No. 3 in D minor reminded me most of Beethoven’s early quartets. Perhaps it was the minor key that made the work sound heavier and more serious than the other two. It has a three-movement structure, of which the first is the most complex.

Although the music is interesting, I found this a difficult recording to listen to. The Equilibrium String Quartet performs on period instruments. I’m not opposed to period instruments. I think they do require additional work to sound pleasant.

I’m not exactly what fell sort for me — the instruments, how they were played, or the way they were recorded. Whatever the cause, I thought the ensemble sounded very thin. The violins had a nasal quality that seemed especially harsh in exposed passages.

I did determine that Elsner is a composer I would like to hear more of. Especially if performed with modern instruments.

— Ralph Graves

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Józef Elsner (1 June 1769 – 18 April 1854) was a Polish composer and educator. After studying in Wrocław and briefly pursuing theology and medicine, he devoted himself to music, working in Brno and Lvov before settling in Warsaw in 1799. As director of the National Theatre's opera, he expanded its repertoire with numerous operas and ballets. Elsner established and led several music schools, where he taught notable students, including Frédéric Chopin. His lifelong contributions to composition, education, publishing and cultural institutions earned him widespread recognition and lasting influence on Polish musical life.

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The Equilibrium String Quartet, founded in 2017, is dedicated to rediscovering and performing overlooked 18th- and 19th-century chamber music, with a particular focus on Polish composers. Comprising four specialists in historically informed performance, the ensemble collaborates with musicologists to revive forgotten works using period performance practices. Their recordings include rare and previously unknown repertoire by Józef Elsner, Franciszek Lessel, Karol Kurpiński, Zygmunt Noskowski and Władysław Żeleński, whose music earned the quartet a 2021 Fryderyk Award nomination.

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