ÉxQuartet is a string quartet created by outstanding musical personalities of the Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, who uniquely specialise in performing the latest music. The ensemble's achievements include world premieres and as many as six albums with works by contemporary composers
Among them there are some awarded the Global Music Award 2021. Quartet No. 2 by Glass was originally written for the dramatic play Company, which is based on the main character's reflections on the meaning of existence, self-awareness and the nature of reality. Quartets by Dorothee Eberhatdt and Aaron Alter were featured on award-winning ÉxQuartet albums. The second piece, in particular, holds a special place in the artists' repertoire, as it was premiered at the International Music Festival in Kwidzyn in 2020. The hallmark of String Theory is the extraordinary, virtuoso solo of the first violin.
A real treat in the programme is Expressions on the Paintings of Edward Munch by the American composer Greg A. Steinke. The first part refers to Munch's most famous painting – The Scream.
The second painting is The Dance of Life showing different faces of love in subsequent stages of life. The last inspiration was the painting Melancholia from 1892, depicting four people on the seashore – a couple, a figure that disturbs them and a witness to this event. Munch wrote: sometimes you see with different eyes, and Steinke replies: sometimes you hear with different ears.
Glass' String Quartet "Company" performed by Brooklyn Rider:
