34. Festiwal Mozartowski w Warszawie
34th Mozart Festival in Warsaw
Studio Koncertowe Polskiego Radia im. Witolda Lutosławskiego
Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio
Wolfgang Amadeusz Mozart
Eine kleine Nachtmusik, KV 525
Karol Szymanowski Quartet consists of:
Agata Szymczewska | violin
Robert Kowalski | violin
Volodia Mykytka | viola
Gustaw Bafeltowski | cello
Concert Program
Serenade for String Orchestra in G Major No. 13, K. 525
(Eine kleine Nachtmusik)
String Quartet No. 6 in C Major, K. 465
(“Dissonance”)
Serenade for String Orchestra in G Major No. 13, K. 525
The Serenade for String Orchestra in G Major No. 13, K. 525, known as Eine kleine Nachtmusik (literally “A Little Night Music,” though the term Nachtmusik referred more broadly to serenades, or “music of the night”; hence also translated as “A Little Nocturne”), is one of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s most famous compositions. Originally written for string quartet, it is most often performed by a string orchestra. Mozart composed the piece in Vienna in 1787, at the same time he was working on his opera Don Giovanni. Despite the personal struggles and suffering Mozart endured in the final years of his life, this serenade is marked by a cheerful and spirited character.
String Quartet No. 6 in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance”
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart completed his String Quartet in C Major, K. 465 in 1785. The last of six quartets dedicated to Joseph Haydn, it owes its nickname, Dissonance, to its slow and tension-filled introduction, which features unresolved harmonies over a pulsing cello line. This disorienting Adagio soon gives way to the bright main theme of the first movement, Allegro. The first violin introduces a short, singing theme, which is soon echoed by the other instruments in contrapuntal imitation. A second, more agitated melody and a third motif built on triplets fuel a brief development section. However, it is the first theme—now stated more intimately—that dominates the proceedings, until the recapitulation soothes the unsettled quartet. The exposition, of course, returns—this time without the “dissonant” baggage of the introduction.
Agata Szymczewska
Agata Szymczewska has performed in some of the world’s most prestigious concert halls, including Carnegie Hall in New York, Chicago Symphony Hall, the Kennedy Center in Washington, Wigmore Hall in London, Théâtre des Champs-Élysées in Paris, the Musikverein in Vienna, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Palau de la Música in Barcelona, the Berlin Philharmonie, Sala São Paulo in Brazil, the Seoul Arts Center in South Korea, as well as in China, Japan, Taiwan, Canada, Peru, Chile, Colombia, and Israel. She has played under the baton of renowned conductors such as Seiji Ozawa, Sir Neville Marriner, Riccardo Muti, Andrey Boreyko, Maxim Vengerov, Krzysztof Penderecki, John Axelrod, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jacek Kaspszyk, Krzysztof Urbański, Michał Nesterowicz, Antoni Wit, Jan Krenz, and with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall under the direction of Osmo Vänskä.
Szymczewska performs regularly alongside Anne-Sophie Mutter, touring with the Mutter’s Virtuosi across four continents, appearing at the most prestigious venues and music festivals worldwide. In addition to her solo career, chamber music plays a central role in her artistic life. She has shared the stage with outstanding musicians such as Krystian Zimerman, Martha Argerich, Igor Levit, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Gidon Kremer, Maxim Vengerov, Mischa Maisky, and Yuri Bashmet. Since 2014, she has served as the first violinist of the renowned Karol Szymanowski Quartet, one of the world’s leading string quartets for over two decades.
She is a recipient of the London Music Masters award (2009), as well as numerous other honors including the Polityka Passport Award, the TVP Kultura Award in the Classical Music category, and four Fryderyk Awards. Her discography includes numerous CDs and DVDs released by labels such as Deutsche Grammophon, Sony Music, Decca, Hyperion Records, SWR Music, Universal Music, and CD Accord.
Agata Szymczewska is a graduate of the Hochschule für Musik und Theater in Hanover, where she studied under Professor Krzysztof Węgrzyn, and the Academy of Music in Poznań in the class of Professor Bartosz Bryła. She currently serves as a violin professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and at the State Music School Complex No. 1 in Warsaw.
She shares her teaching experience through masterclasses, open lessons, and music courses around the world. She has taught at the New England Conservatory in Boston, UCLA in Los Angeles, the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, as well as in Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenyang. She has also been a guest teacher at music conservatories in South America, including Santiago de Chile and São Paulo. In Poland, she regularly teaches at the Winter Music Academy in Lusławice and at the Zenon Brzewski International Music Courses in Łańcut.
She performs on a 1755 violin by Niccolò Gagliano, kindly loaned to her by Anne-Sophie Mutter.
The Times of London wrote about Agata Szymczewska:
“She plays with a seriousness, composure, and musical wisdom beyond her years, at times sounding like a fiery young Ida Haendel. She belongs to the select group of the most outstanding Polish violinists recognized internationally.”
Since winning the First Prize, Gold Medal, and Audience Award at the 13th International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition in Poznań, she has regularly appeared on leading stages across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, earning acclaim from international critics, conductors, orchestras, and festivals worldwide.
Karol Szymanowski Quartet
Since its founding in Warsaw in 1995, the Karol Szymanowski Quartet has been distinguished by its ongoing search for new inspirations and an openness to the unpredictable. Each of its outstanding musicians has contributed a unique voice to the sound of this renowned ensemble. Today, the quartet members remain united by a shared, profound understanding of music and a passion rooted in their commitment to the legacy of Polish composers — most notably their namesake, Karol Szymanowski. His music, with its remarkable freedom and expressiveness, continues to define the quartet’s distinctive sound.
In their pursuit of connections across musical eras and their ambition to transcend stylistic boundaries, the musicians design concert programs that are consistently met with critical and audience acclaim. They surprise with unexpected juxtapositions and create new perspectives. This spirit is equally reflected in the KSQ’s discography, which — alongside works by Haydn, Dvořák, and Shostakovich — includes rarely recorded pieces by Bacewicz, Żeleński, Zarębski, Friedman, Weinberg, and Różycki.
Yet it is through live performances around the globe that the quartet forges its closest bond with audiences. The ensemble has appeared at such prestigious venues as New York’s Carnegie Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Wiener Musikverein, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and the Shanghai Symphony Hall, as well as at international festivals including Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, the BBC Proms, Schubertiade, and Lockenhaus.