"One is sure to get much pleasure from Witold Maliszewski's beautifully written and always interesting three string quartets which present no great technical difficulties and in which all of the parts are grateful to play. Maliszewski’s String Quartet No.2 in C Major appeared in 1905. It begins with a Largo introduction, which because of the first violin part, resembles a brief recitativ leading to the main section Allegro with its upbeat, energetic, lyrical and plastic themes. The second movement, Andante con tristtezza is in essence a romance. Two quicker sections, poco piu mosso, provide excellent contrast and have considerable charm. Next comes an appealing dance-like Allegretto scherzando, with its rather striking rhythm that gives the music considerable lilt. The very effective and lively finale, Allegro, begins as a fugue and moves forward with great energy interspersed with slower and more lyrical sections."
— Wilhelm Altmann writing in his Handbook for String Quartet Players.
Witold Maliszewski (1873-1939) was born in the town of Mohyliv-Podilskyi, then part of Russian Poland now located in Ukraine. His initial studies were at the Imperial Conservatory in Tiflis (now Tbilisi) with Mikhail Ivanov-Ippolitov. He then attended the St. Petersburg Conservatory where he studied with Rimsky-Korsakov and Glazunov. In 1908, he obtained the position of conductor of the Odessa Symphony Orchestra. He was active in Odessa until 1920 and was a founder and first director of the Odessa Conservatory. Due to the Russian Revolution, he moved to Warsaw in 1920 where he held several positions, including Professor of Composition at the Warsaw Conservatory. He composed in most genres and his chamber music was held in particularly high regard, winning several competition prizes.
Here is a very appealing work from the Russian Romantic school. It has been out of print for nearly a century. Certainly it should not be missed by amateurs but professionals can count on it being a success in the concert hall where it is sure to be well received.
