The programme featuring Szymon Nehring and Lutosławski Quartet includes two masterpieces of 20th century music. Their authors enjoyed fame and recognition during their lifetime, which gave their works a permanent place in the repertoire of many ensembles and orchestras.

The six string quartets written by Hungarian composer Béla Bartók are among the best known and most interesting pieces for this line-up composed in the previous century. String Quartet No. 3 in C sharp minor was written in September 1927 in Budapest. Although it is a one-movement composition, the artist has divided it into four sections following the principle of alternating slow and fast fragments. It is an expressive and dynamic quartet, very diversified in terms of articulation, and thus also timbre. There are sections played sul ponticello (playing at the bridge, giving a bright, sharp sound) and col legno (hitting the wooden part of the bow against the string). There are also many effective glissandos (smooth transitions from one sound to another). The references to Hungarian folk music also give this composition a specific colour.

In addition to the Bartók quartet, we will listen to the Piano Quintet in G minor, composed by Dmitry Shostakovich in the summer of 1940. Although there are dramatic accents in this music, there is also a lot of energy and optimism, especially in the cheerful ending of the last movement. The piece consists of five movements. The Prelude is poignantly dramatic and sharp in expression, while the Fugue is slow-paced, melancholic, and even a bit dark. The captivating, predatory Scherzo shakes the listeners out of their thoughts. In the Intermezzo, there is a return to a slow pace and a bit gloomy mood, which brightens with the start of the serene Allegretto finale. The premiere of the work in November 1940 was a great success, and the quintet immediately gained considerable popularity, which it has not lost to this day.