Witold Maliszewski - String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 (Camerata Quartet)

Information

Composer: Witold Maliszewski

• String Quartet No. 1 in F major, Op. 2
• String Quartet No. 3 in E-flat major, Op. 15

Camerata Quartet

Date: 2023

Label: PSCM Records

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Review

Witold Maliszewski is represented on disc by a symphonic cycle as well by a series of chamber works, a number of which have been reviewed on this site where you will find biographical details about the composer. Of special relevance, though, is the recording that contains both the string quartets on the disc under review, played by the Four Strings Quartet in 2015-2016.

The Camerata Quartet’s more recent traversal – though undated so far as I can see in the booklet – adopts more leisurely tempi in both works. The benefit in expressive horizontality may well be balanced against the resultant lack of energising vitality, though this is largely a question of individual preference. What’s not in doubt is the commitment of this long-established ensemble.

The composer is still not well-known, so a quick look at those previous reviews may well serve to orientate him stylistically. His Quartet in F major, Op.2 forms a considerable structural contrast to the later work. The 1903 quartet offers four conventionally-sized movements that start by offering mellifluous and fulsome lyricism, fortunately buttressed by changes of metre and disruptive elements that stop the music becoming merely amiable. If the Scherzo that follows majors on ostinati these are accompanied by guitar-imitating pizzicati and then the slow movement is predicated on a Slavic theme which is itself malleable and sways richly, ricocheting back and forth between emotive states: not a Tchaikovsky wallow, in other words. The longest movement is the last, a very competent one with a moment reserved for a bright fugato though, to be frank, it’s not without its longueurs.

The 1914 Quartet offers a very different scheme – a very long (here 22-minute) opening Theme and Variations followed by two conventional movements, a slow one and finale. Certainly, Maliszewski could balance introspection and more extrovert writing, as it’s rather a constant feature of the eight variations that they swing between these poles – indeed it seems to have been a feature of his quartet writing generally to do this. Thus, one can find lively pizzicato episodes, and a rather melancholy funereal variation, as well as less extreme contrasts all marshalled with skill. Whether it sustains its length is another question, certainly because for all the variation form, it might as well be a suite. Still, it’s followed by a very light-hearted Andante tranquillo, full of fanciful touches and a lot of playful pizzicati, and an engaging finale, complete with another brief fugato, that has the courage to end slowly. 

It’s fine that we have competing versions of these two quartets. This one has a reasonable level of documentation and preference will depend on how much latitude you’re prepared to grant. If the addition of the Aria played by pianist Artur Cimirro – it lasts two minutes – sways things, it’s included in the Acte Préalable disc.

— Jonathan Woolf

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Witold Maliszewski (20 July 1873 – 18 July 1939) was a Polish composer, conductor and educator. After studying mathematics and medicine in St. Petersburg, he pursued composition under Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov. He worked extensively in Odessa before returning to Warsaw in 1921. There, he taught composition, helped organize the first International Chopin Competition, co-founded the Frederic Chopin Institute, and headed the Ministry of Education's music department. His compositions received numerous awards in Poland and internationally. Among his students was the renowned Polish composer Witold Lutosławski.

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The Camerata Quartet, founded in 1984, is one of Poland's leading chamber music ensembles. The quartet has appeared at prestigious venues and festivals across Europe, Asia and the Americas. Its extensive discography comprises 28 recordings featuring works by composers such as Schubert, Moniuszko, Dobrzyński, Dvořák, Smetana and Szymanowski. The ensemble has received major distinctions, including Diapason d'Or and the Fryderyk Award. Alongside concert and recording activities, its members have contributed to music education and organized annual string-quartet courses in Gorlice since 1992.

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