“Messages Quartet
(…) is currently one of the best Polish string quartets.”
Anna Woźniakowska, polskamuza.eu (04/2017)
MESSAGES QUARTET, defined by critics as “currently one of the best Polish string quartets”, was established in 2014 and just one year later the band won a Second Prize, Silver Medal, and Special Prize for the interpretation of D. Szostakowicz’s quartet in the second edition of International Chamber Music Competition in Plovdiv (Bulgaria, October 2015.) From now on the band is constantly concertizing in Poland and worldwide, a.o. in Vienna, London, Sao Paulo, Bautzten, San Francisco, or Moscow.
At the center of Messages Quartet’s interest is Polish music, especially less known and the newest. Female artists have been repeatedly rewarded and recognized for its interpretations. In 2016, the band became a laureate of the “Young Poland” Scholarship Program thanks to which the DUX recording company released a debut album containing a recording of string quartets by Szymon Laks. The album received excellent reviews in French, German, British, American, and Polish press. In 2019, also on the DUX label, the band’s second album titled “Messages” with the music of Moniuszko, Panufnik, and Penderecki was released. The album titled “De invitatione mortis” by Andrzej Karałow featured by Quartet was nominated for “Fryderyk” 2021 award. Another significant band’s record is an album containing piano quintets of Grażyna Bacewicz and Aleksander Tansman. It was realized in cooperation with pianist Julia Kociuban who was nominated for the “Fryderyk” 2021 award. She was also awarded a “Muzyczny Orzeł” 2022 as the best chamber music group. Messages Quartet was also awarded a nomination for the Koryfeusz Polish Music Award in the category “Personality of the Year.”
In 2023, as part of a residency at the Imago Dei Festival in Austria, the Messages Quartet presented Polish music during the cycle of concerts. After that, the band was hailed as “a discovery for the audience and music critics.”
In addition to their concert activities, the artists of the Messages Quartet have won prizes and awards at international solo and chamber music competitions. They are also recipients of scholarships from the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and other institutions supporting artists around the world.
As emphasized by critics, unique sound is the thing that distinguishes Messages Quartet. In their interpretations, the band emphasized homogeneity resulting from four artistic individualities and searched for new meanings in music. By initiating a dialogue with the audience, the band thus conveys art that is lively, emotional, and grounded in the present day.
Translated by Martyna Mrugała (student of English Studies at the University of Wrocław) as part of the translation practice.
