Since the 1920s, a distinct compositional approach known as neoclassicism has occupied an important place in the history of European music. Drawing on the traditions of earlier eras while remaining open to novelty, it positioned itself in opposition both to the unrestrained expression of the Romantic aesthetic and to the inaccessibility characteristic of the avant-garde. During this chamber concert, works by composers associated with this movement will be performed by four musicians connected to the Silesian region: oboist Justyna Stanek, violinist Bartłomiej Fraś, cellist Julianna Vinci, and pianist Monika Kruk.

Grażyna Bacewicz is often associated with neoclassicism. The formal clarity, dramatic transparency, and belief in the autonomy of music that were central to her work fit this aesthetic particularly well. After the Second World War, however, the composer entered a period of searching for new means of expression. This prompted British musicologist Adrian Thomas to compare her artistic approach at the time to that of a chameleon. The Sonatina for oboe and piano that we will hear was composed relatively late, in 1955. Despite this, it clearly bears the mark of neoclassical models. In addition to certain similarities in their aesthetic outlook, Zoltán Kodály and the Polish composer were also connected by the formative experiences they lived through as young artists in Paris. The artist from Łódź studied there with the legendary Nadia Boulanger, while the Hungarian composer, after arriving in the French capital in 1907, was captivated by the music of Claude Debussy. After returning to his homeland, Kodály devoted himself primarily to chamber music. In 1914, he composed his expressive yet highly melodic Duo for violin and cello, Op. 7.

French neoclassicist Francis Poulenc wrote his Sonata for oboe and piano shortly before his death. Published in 1962, it turned out to be his final work. He dedicated it to the memory of Sergei Prokofiev. This dedication, together with a sense of approaching death, must have contributed to the work's mournful character. It opens with an Élégie, followed by a Scherzo that brings a touch of animation, and then a somber Déploration. Meanwhile, in Czech culture, the leading composer associated with a neoclassical orientation was Bohuslav Martinů. He spent almost his entire life on emmigration: in 1923, he left for Paris to continue his studies, and remained there until the Second World War, when he moved to the United States. Among the works he composed there was the Quartet for oboe, violin, cello, and piano, written in 1947. This brilliant and light-hearted composition may perhaps have served the composer as a respite from larger-scale forms.