Belcea Quartet & Piotr Anderszewski: Haydn, Janácek and Shostakovich

The outstanding Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski joins the Belcea Quartet to perform works of light and shadow by Haydn, Janácek and Shostakovich.
Described as ‘technically accomplished and uncommonly probing’ by The New York Times, the quartet has appeared many times at Southbank Centre. The Polish pianist Piotr Anderszewski has gained a cult following with his thoughtful performances.

Nicknamed the ‘How do you do’ quartet for the rhythm of its opening phrase, Haydn’s Op.33 No.5 is one of a sunny set of chamber pieces, though its slow second movement is rich in feeling.
Janácek’s Intimate Letters, the composer’s last work, is a thrillingly personal response to his unrequited passion for the married Kamila Stosslova, to whom he wrote over 700 letters. It was written over three weeks in 1928; he died less than a month later.
The first performance of Shostakovich’s Piano Quintet was enthusiastically received and it remains one of his most popular pieces. Uncharacteristically ebullient in tone for a composer known for spiky wit and menacing darkness, it is nevertheless full of ambivalent emotion.

Programme

Haydn String Quartet in G, Op.33 No.5
Janácek String Quartet No.2 (Intimate Letters)

Interval

Shostakovich Quintet in G minor for piano & strings, Op.57

Performers

Belcea Quartet
Piotr Anderszewski piano