Romantic and Cinematic

Robert Schumann’s Piano Quartet is one of the most romantic pieces ever composed. The elegant and virtuosic piano part was written for his wife, Clara, and the slow movement offers what may be one of the most beautiful melodies in all of musical Romanticism.

Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz (1909–69) was both celebrated and exceptionally successful as a female composer during her lifetime. She graduated in both violin and composition from the Warsaw Conservatory and was also a highly skilled pianist. Like her rhythmically charged piano concerto, her second Piano Quintet is expressive, powerful and virtuosic.

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933–2020), another of Poland’s most prominent composers, gained international fame outside classical circles after his music was featured in films such as The Exorcist, The Shining, Wild at Heart and Shutter Island. He was also the focus of Konserthuset’s Composer Festival in 1993.

Penderecki’s Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio was written as a response to Schubert’s String Quintet – though it perhaps bears more resemblance to the world of Shostakovich. The piece is dedicated to Åke Holmquist, who served as director of Konserthuset Stockholm from 1986 to 1999 and was the initiator of the Composer Festival, which has been held annually since 1986.