Szymon Laks - String Quartet No. 2 (Messages Quartet)

Information

Composer: Szymon Laks

1. String Quartet No. 2: I. Allegro moderato
2. String Quartet No. 2: II. Larghetto
3. String Quartet No. 2: III. Quasi presto

Messages Quartet

    Małgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera, violin

    Oriana Masternak, violin

    Maria Shetty, viola

    Beata Urbanek, cello

Date: 2026

Label: DUX Recording Producers

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This album features the Polish premiere of the long-lost String Quartet No. 2 (1932) by Szymon Laks (1901–1983), a distinguished Polish-Jewish composer and writer whose refined, neoclassically expressive works are currently experiencing a well-deserved resurgence. Performed in the 1930s before disappearing from musical life for nearly a century, the rediscovered work restores a vital piece of the composer’s legacy to the modern chamber repertoire. The piece is performed by the critically acclaimed Messages Quartet, a leading ensemble in Polish chamber music whose earlier recordings of Laks’s quartets have earned widespread audience and critical praise.

Messages Quartet, founded in 2014, is acclaimed as “one of the finest Polish string quartets today.” The ensemble quickly gained international recognition, winning prizes at the 2nd International Chamber Music Competition in Plovdiv (2015), and has since performed across Europe, South America, and North America. Its repertoire emphasizes Polish music, from lesser-known historical works to contemporary compositions, including Laks, Panufnik, Penderecki, Weinberg, Szymanowski, Moniuszko, Tansman, and Bacewicz, alongside world chamber music masterpieces. The Quartet has premiered numerous works and received awards such as the Musical Eagle and Fryderyk nominations. Critics highlight their distinctive, cohesive sound and emotionally engaging performances, reflecting four individual voices in dialogue with the audience.

High Resolution 24-bit / 96 kHz