Program Notes

This is a three-movement string quartet that portrays the spirit of Warsaw. Each movement reflects a distinct facet of the city: the vibrant energy of the Old Town marketplaces, the serene resonance of its historic churches, and the monumental presence of the Palace of Culture and Science.

The first movement, Targowisko (Polish for “marketplace”), depicts a day in Warsaw’s bustling Old Town. Folk-inspired melodies, lively syncopated rhythms, and jazz-inflected harmonies evoke the movement, color, and human vitality of an open-air market. A slower, intermezzo-like section interrupts the bustle, incorporating the characteristic rhythm of a polonaise, momentarily grounding the music in a more reflective, ceremonial gesture before the market energy resumes.

The second movement, Transcend, is inspired by a quiet encounter on a rainy winter afternoon. Wandering through my neighborhood, I came upon a small church. There was no mass in progress and no visitors present. I sat alone for some time, surrounded by stillness.

The third movement, The Tower, reflects the monumental presence of the Palace of Culture and Science. Both physically and symbolically imposing, the structure looms over the city, its scale inseparable from the complex historical forces that shaped it. Musically, the movement explores the sensation of being confronted by something vast and overpowering, using dense, vertical textures and weighty, repetitive gestures to construct a towering sonic architecture. A central, intermezzo-like section recalls both the polonaise rhythm and the Old Town melody from the first movement; recontextualized within this darker landscape, these familiar materials take on new meaning, no longer expressing vitality or celebration, but instead representing resilience and resistance. Through mounting struggle, the music ultimately releases into a grand, uplifting conclusion.