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Musicarius String Quartet (Polish: Kwartet smyczkowy Musicarius) goes way beyond the widely accepted conventions in music. It was made in 2003 and performs mostly early music.
Musicarius uses instruments of the era or its replicas and formulates repertoire reflecting specific events from 200-300 years ago. The musicians are open to some interesting experiments- cooperation with the Polish Theatre of Dance and some alternative theatre groups resulted in new perspectives balancing at the verge of classical and electronic music as well as blurred the differences between an instrumentalist as a music performer and actor.
Collaboration with Jan AP Kaczmarek allowed to present, for the first time in Europe, music awarded an Oscar. Performing on numerous festivals brought a wide range of extremely interesting concert programmes which style evolves from the 20th century minimalist music and reaches up to the filled with passion Baroque: from works of Wacław of Szamotuły to pieces composed among the last few years.
Musicarius is a constantly searching group. It takes up the challenge of creating a new quality as well as setting new boundaries both in music and art. The musicians don't give in to the previously set and widely known rules. Instead, they try to break the existing schemes and conventions.
Musicarius has a very diverse repertoire. The group performs music according to the historical practices.
The musicians play many masterpieces of the Baroque and classicism period including pieces of composers like: J.S. Bach, H. Purcell, Georg Philipp Telemann, Arcangelo Corelli, J.B. Lully, Carl Friedrich Abel, Johann Christian Bach, Johann Christoph Friedrich Bach, J. Haydn, W.A. Mozart, L.v. Beethoven.
Musicarius doesn't concentrate only on string quartet music but it also reaches to vocal music, performing compositions of Orlando di Lasso or Wacław of Szamotuły. It is worth mentioning that Musicarius, as one of the very few groups in the world, performs Requiem of W.A. Mozart in the string quartet version written by Peter Lichtenthal in 1820. It has become tradition that every year during Lent Musicarius performs the quartet version of the oratorio The Seven Last Words of Christ by J. Haydn. This wonderful music set in the contemplative mood and filled with fragments of the Holy Bible treating about the Passion fits perfectly in the solemn character of the Holy Week.
Moreover, the repertoire comprises works of F. Schubert, A. Dvorak, E. Grieg, Johannes Brahms. Musicarius popularizes the music of Polish composers among which are K. Kurpiński, M. Radziwił, S. Moniuszko, W. Żeleński, G. Bacewicz, H. M. Górecki. The group also presented music of A. Part, W. Godawa, D. Szostakowicz, A. Piazzolla. The string quartet made the first performance of the suite written by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Finding Neverland, directed by Mark Foster. |
