We invite you to the concert of the Polish Piano Quartet. The artists will perform works by three composers. In addition to the canonic works by Astor Piazzolla, adored by the public, there will also be intriguing compositions by two lesser-known artists: Joly Braga Santos and Joaquín Turina.

Joly Braga Santos was a Portuguese composer active in the 20th century. His oeuvre includes six symphonies, three operas, three ballets and five cantatas. In the earlier stages of his work, he wrote in the Neo-classicist style and was also eager to use elements of native folk music. Later, he composed in a more avant-garde style, in which he allowed himself to boldly experiment with harmonies. Full of energy and panache, his Piano Quartet in D major op. 26 was written in 1957, i.e. at an earlier stage of the composer’s work.

Joaquín Turina was a Spanish composer fascinated by the colorfulness of French music. His idols were Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel, which also translated into a sense of colour in his own works. Piano quartet in A minor op. 67 was completed in 1931. This work has clearly discernible echoes of Andalusian music, which makes it an attractive and suspenseful piece.

Of course, the programme also includes compositions of Astor Piazzolla. Las cuatro estaciones porteñas is a suite of four dances, also known as “The Four Seasons in Buenos Aires.” The individual movements were arranged by the composer in a different order than in the well-known and popular concertos of Antonio Vivaldi, which Piazzolla referenced in the title of the series: Otoño porteño (“Autumn”), Invierno porteño (“Winter”), Primavera porteña (“Spring”) and Verano porteño (“Summer”). The concert will end with the Libertango from 1974 – a composition much-liked by the audience, symbolizing the liberation of tango from the tyranny of old patterns. Piazzolla created a new type of this dance, called tango nuevo. The “new tango” has richer textures and a more varied sound compared to earlier compositions of this type, it is also more complex in terms of harmony, counterpoint and melody.