Laks: Chamber Works ARC Ensemble

• Szymon Laks (1901 - 1983): String Quartet No. 4:
• 1String Quartet No. 4: I. Allegro non troppo04:23
• 2String Quartet No. 4: II. Andante sostenuto05:53
• 3String Quartet No. 4: III. Quasi presto, con fuoco04:19
• Divertimento (Version for Violin, Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano):
• 4Divertimento (Version for Violin, Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano): I. Allegro non troppo, quasi una marcia05:03
• 5Divertimento (Version for Violin, Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano): II. Andante - Allegretto subito - Tempo I04:33
• 6Divertimento (Version for Violin, Clarinet, Bassoon & Piano): III. Molto allegro e giocoso03:44
• Piano Sonatina:
• 7Piano Sonatina: I. Moderato05:02
• 8Piano Sonatina: II. Scherzino. Vivace01:33
• 9Piano Sonatina: III. Lento non troppo - Molto tranquillo - Meno mosso02:49
• 10Piano Sonatina: IV. Allegro non troppo05:21
• Concertino:
• 11Concertino: I. Allegro scherzoso - Più mosso04:17
• 12Concertino: II. Andante meditativo - Un poco meno mosso03:25
• 13Concertino: III. Presto non troppo - Meno mosso e calando - Tempo I - Prestissimo05:38
• Passacaille (Version for Clarinet & Piano):
• 14Passacaille (Version for Clarinet & Piano)05:47
• Piano Quintet:
• 15Piano Quintet: I. Allegro quasi presto - Meno mosso, un poco rubato - Un poco meno - Tempo I - A tempo meno mosso - Tempo I04:41
• 16Piano Quintet: II. Lento sostenuto - Un poco animato e rubato - Tempo, tranquillo06:23
• 17Piano Quintet: III. Vivace non troppo - Tempo meno mosso - Da capo senza replica - Coda03:31
• 18Piano Quintet: IV. Allegro moderato ma deciso - Un poco pesante ma a tempo - Più mosso e agitato05:31
• Total Runtime01:21:53

Info for Laks: Chamber Works

Following the Grammy nominated Volume 2 featuring the music of Fitelberg, the Canadian ARC Ensemble presents Volume 3 in its "Music in Exile" series, dedicated to the music of Szymon Laks. Born in Warsaw in 1901, Laks studied in Paris before being deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau. He soon joined and conducted the Auschwitz orchestra (his auditioning with a 'Jewish' work - Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto - went unnoticed). Although the trauma of his imprisonment left him alienated and reclusive, few of his works refer specifically to the Holocaust. A rather subtle, colorful and sometimes contrapuntal style emerges in his writing, notably represented in the early, elegant, Ravel-influenced Sonatina fo rpiano, in the later, melodic Passacaille, and the folk dances and songs woven into the cheerful String Quartet No. 4, as well as in the breezy, seemingly effortless Divertimento. These premiere recordings are a must-have, not only because of the compositional context and the quality of the music and its interpretations, but also because the unsparing eyewitness account that Laks gave of his imprisonment has eclipsed his musical legacy, leaving his works more than unjustly neglected.

"Poland’s young Messages Quartet play with warmth and bring out the true qualities of Lak’s quartet writing, including the transparency of No. 5…the slow movement of No. 3 is wistfully haunting. This is fascinating music" (BBC Music Magazine)

"These impressive performances are well-recorded, the Koerner Hall offering warmth and intimacy." (MusicWeb International)

"This collection of his chamber music – all claimed as premiere recordings, and sparkily played by the ARC Ensemble – speaks of musical development thwarted by an experience that only the inward-looking Passacaille of 1945 hints at. The 1927 Sonatina for solo piano, combining Chopin-like expansiveness with a dark-tinged French soundworld, is intriguing." (The Guardian)

"Laks's compositional fluency was remarkable. You're reminded of, among others, Shostakovich, Poulenc and Martinu, but these pieces have their own distinctive flavour and personality. Outstanding performances from the Canadian ARC Ensemble, and excellent sleeve notes." (The Arts Desk)

ARC Ensemble

ARC Ensemble
Nominated for its third Grammy Award in 2016, the ARC Ensemble is among Canada's most distinguished cultural ambassadors. Although the ensemble performs a wide range of music, its preoccupation continues to be the research and recovery of music that was suppressed and marginalized under the 20th century's repressive regimes. A growing number of hitherto unknown masterworks are rejoining the repertoire as a result of the ARC Ensemble's work.

The ARC Ensemble has appeared at major festivals and series, including the Budapest Spring Festival, the Enescu Festival (Bucharest), New York's Lincoln Center Festival, Canada's Stratford Festival, Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, London's Wigmore and Cadogan Halls and Washington's Kennedy Center. The ARC Ensemble's “Music in Exile” series has been presented in Tel Aviv, Warsaw, Toronto, New York and London, and its performances and recordings (on Sony's RCA Red Seal label and Chandos) continue to earn unanimous critical acclaim and regularly broadcasts on stations around the world.

Comprised of the senior faculty of the Royal Conservatory's Glenn Gould School, with special guests drawn from the organization's most accomplished students and alumni, the ARC Ensemble's core group consists of piano, string quartet and clarinet with additional forces as repertoire demands. The ARC Ensemble collaborates with a range of artists, they include the pianist Leon Fleisher, the novelist Yann Martel, actors Saul Rubinek and R.H. Thompson, and composers R. Murray Schafer, Omar Daniel and Vincent Ho.

EXIT: MUSIC, a documentary describing the ensemble's work premiered in November 2016 and has been screened at a number of international festivals. It is distributed internationally by First Run Features in the US and Euroarts, Berlin in other territories. The ARC Ensemble's most recent release, its sixth, is devoted to the music of the Auschwitz survivor and onetime conductor of the camp's orchestra, Szymon Laks. The recording was nominated for a 2018 Juno Award. Highlights of ARC's 2019 season includes concerts at Amsterdam's Concertgebouw, the Parco della Musica, Rome, and UCLA's Schoenberg Hall.

James Conlon, Music Director of the Los Angeles Opera and a pioneer in the recovery of lost twentieth century repertoire, is the ARC Ensemble's Honorary Chairman, its Artistic Director is Simon Wynberg.

Booklet for Laks: Chamber Works