Atom String Quartet
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Albums

Fade in

The quartet’s debut album, recorded in the studio of Radio Katowice and released as the prize for winning the “Grand Prix” of Bielska Zadymka Jazzowa. In June 2012, it was included in the Jazz Forum magazine as an add-on for subscribers. A re-edition of the album was released a year later by Kayax. The album won a Fryderyk in the category “Jazz Phonographic Debut of the Year”.

Tracklist:

  1. “Fugato & Allegrina” (Krzysztof Lenczowski / Mateusz Smoczyński)
  2. “Svantetic” (Krzysztof Komeda arr. Mateusz Smoczyński)
  3. “Beautiful Love” (Victor Young arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  4. “LaTina” (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  5. “First Waltz” (Dawid Lubowicz)
  6. “Patology” (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  7. “Sleep Safe and Warm” (Krzysztof Komeda arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  8. “Triton Blues” (Mateusz Smoczyński)
  9. “Too Late” (Michał Zaborski)
  10. “Fade Out” (Michał Zaborski)

Publisher: Polskie Radio Katowice/Kayax Recorded in the Concert Studio of Polish Radio Katowice on April 11, 2011.
Premiere of the re-edition – Kayax – April 19, 2011

Fryderyk 2012 Fryderyk for the Jazz Phonographic Debut of 2012!

Places

The band’s first studio album. It mainly contains original compositions of the quartet’s musicians, presenting an individual view of the music of the places they refer to. It contains Latin rhythms, Irish folklore, Spanish melodies and motifs from various regions of Poland. These elements inspire improvisation, leading to the spontaneous interaction of four strong musical personalities.

Tracklist:

  1. Na Siedem (Dawid Lubowicz)
  2. Irish Pub (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  3. Iława (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  4. Fugato & Allegrina (Krzysztof Lenczowski/Mateusz Smoczyński)
  5. Too Late (Michał Zaborski)
  6. LaTina (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  7. Spain (Chick Corea arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  8. Song for Mario (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  9. Zakopane (Mateusz Smoczyński)
  10. Fade Out (Michał Zaborski)

Publisher: Kayax
The album was recorded at the Witold Lutosławski Polish Radio Concert Studio. in Warsaw.
Release date: April 23, 2012

Fryderyk 2013   Fryderyk for the best jazz album of 2012!

AtomSPHERE

The quartet’s third (second studio) album, released by KAYAX. It is a two-disc publication, which includes 15 original compositions of the band’s musicians, as well as an arrangement of “Two piano etudes by Witold Lutosławski ” and “Passion” by Zbigniew Seifert. There is no shortage of spontaneous improvisations, which the band is famous for, but individual sounds are also of great importance. The source of inspiration was not only the various musical cultures of the world, but also the achievements of contemporary music, especially minimal music, which joined the palette of means of artistic expression used in the  band’s latest works.

Tracklist:

CD 1

  1. Ad Libitum II (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  2. Happy (Mateusz Smoczyński)
  3. Ballada o śmierci Janosika (Dawid Lubowicz)
  4. First Breath (Michał Zaborski)
  5. Etiuda I (Witold Lutosławski arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  6. Atomsphere (Dawid Lubowicz, Mateusz Smoczyński, Michał Zaborski, Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  7. Etiuda II (Witold Lutosławski arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  8. Snow Hunter (Michał Zaborski)

CD 2

  1. Obercology (Dawid Lubowicz)
  2. Nie ma spania! (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  3. Passion (Zbigniew Seifert arr. Mateusz Smoczyński)
  4. Winter Song (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  5. Kubanana (Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  6. Manhattan Island (Mateusz Smoczyński)
  7. Dialogi fletu i flażoletu (Krzysztof Lenczowski)

Publisher: Kayax
Kayax The album was recorded at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Center in Lusławice.
Release date: September 25, 2015

Seifert

In the shared consciousness of jazz enthusiasts, Zbigniew Seifert functions mainly as a violinist-virtuoso. Little attention is paid to his compositions, which, as well as masterly playing the instrument, constitute the characteristic “Seifertian” style of his music. The master’s pieces, which were originally intended to be performed as a jazz combo, were filtered on this album by the musical language of a jazz string quartet, which seems to be close to the values professed by the composer. Both Seifert’s way of playing and his compositions show how important it was for him to introduce elements characteristic of jazz music to the ground of the classical performance apparatus.

Seifert is the fourth album of the Atom String Quartet, the third studio album, the second one recorded at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Centerin Lusławice and the first monograph devoted to the work of one composer.

Tracklist:

  1. Quasimodo
  2. Way To Oasis
  3. Love In The Garden
  4. Kilimanjaro
  5. Stillness (performed by Michał Zaborski and Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  6. Turbulent Plover
  7. Evening Psalm (performed by Mateusz Smoczyński)
  8. Where Are You From
  9. Inspirational Psalm (performed by Dawid Lubowicz)
  10. On The Farm

Publisher: Zbigniew Seifert Foundation
Recorded at the Krzysztof Penderecki European Music Center in Lusławice.
Release date: May 27, 2017

Supernova

This is an album recorded together with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra under the direction of Christian Danowicz, the orchestra’s concertmaster.

The Supernova album is a perfect summary of the extremely interesting and inspiring two-year collaboration of both bands. The disc includes compositions by the musicians of the Atom String Quartet for a jazz string quartet and string orchestra, as well as Concerto Rosso – a new piece by Polish composer Hanna Kulenty-Majoor, dedicated to both bands. Concerto Rosso will also be on one of the albums published as part of the prestigious “100 out of 100”Musical Decades of Freedom Project by Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne.

The album received the Fryderyk 2019 award in the category “Album of the year – contemporary music”.

Tracklist:

  1. Krzysztof Lenczowski Supernova
  2. Dawid Lubowicz Toccata
  3. Krzysztof Lenczowski Fale
  4. Hanna Kulenty-Majoor Concerto Rosso* for string quartet and string orchestra
  5. Michał Zaborski Melody of the Prairie
  6. Mateusz Smoczyński Cosmos
  7. Dawid Lubowicz Za wcześnie
  8. Mateusz Smoczyński Happy

*A piece dedicated to the Atom String Quartet and the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra

Publishers: NFM, CD Accord
NFM 48, ACD 244
The album was recorded in the Main Hall of the National Forum of Music in Wrocław.
Release date: October 26, 2018

Penederecki

The Atom String Quartet uses the music of Krzysztof Penderecki – the greatest Polish composer of our time. The main axis of the program are chamber and solo pieces for wind instruments from the adolescent period of the Master’s work, which are interspersed with “Three pieces in the old style”. Vitalism, motor skills and energy are the basic features of selected works. They naturally became a pretext for further exploration of the quartet, which interprets Penderecki’s works in a characteristic way, giving them a completely new context. On the one hand, there is respect for the sheet music, and on the other, bold formal decisions that form the framework of improvised fragments.

The program premiered in September 2018 as part of the 6th International Krzysztof Penderecki Festival in Zabrze.

Track list:

  1. Capriccio for tuba solo (arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  2. Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano Miniature I Allegro (arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  3. Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano Miniature II Andante cantabile (arr. Dawid Lubowicz)
  4. Three Miniatures for Clarinet and Piano Miniature III Allegro ma non troppo (arr. Dawid Lubowicz)
  5. Three pieces in old style for string orchestra, music for the film “The Saragossa Manuscript”  II Menuet I
  6. Suite for cello solo II Serenade
  7. Suite for cello solo VII Scherzo (arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski)
  8. Three pieces in old style for string orchestra, music for the film “The Saragossa Manuscript” III Menuet II
  9. Prelude for clarinet solo (arr. Mateusz Smoczyński)
  10. Three pieces in old style for string orchestra, music for the film “The Saragossa Manuscript” I Aria (arr. Mateusz Smoczyński)

Publisher: Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin
Recorded in the Concert Hall of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin
Release date: August 25, 2019

Karłowicz Recomposed

The album was recorded together with the Szczecin Philharmonic Wind Quartet – soloists of the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra: flutist Filippo Del Noce, oboist Mateusz Żurawski, clarinet player Piotr Wybraniec and bassoon player Edyta Moroz. The album’s program includes 11 songs by Mieczysław Karłowicz arranged by the musicians of the Atom String Quartet. The originator of this album is Ms. Dorota Serwa – Director of the M. Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin.

“Songs by Mieczysław Karłowicz is a very unusual album in our discography,” say the ASQ musicians – “When we thought about its sound, we thought it was worth to put it in contrast. We decided that a jazz string quartet will sound interesting in combination with a classic wind quartet. We thought on the one hand we would achieve a colour very similar to the symphonic one, on the other – we would not give up the intimate character, where every voice is equal. The sonic possibilities that this octet offered us turned out to be very inspiring.”

Tracklist:

Mieczysław Karłowicz

  1. Pamiętam ciche, jasne, złote dnie op. 1 nr 5 (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski
  2. Czasem, gdy długo na pół sennie marzę (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Mateusz Smoczyński
  3. Na spokojnem, ciemnem morzu op. 3 nr 4 (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski
  4. Rdzawe liście strząsa z drzew (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Dawid Lubowicz
  5. Po szerokiem, szerokiem morzu op. 3 nr 9
    (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Dawid Lubowicz
  6. Zasmuconej op. 1 nr 1 (lyrics: Kazimierz Gliński)
    arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski
  7. Zawód op. 1 nr 4 (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Dawid Lubowicz
  8. Mów do mnie jeszcze op. 3 nr 1
    (words: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Krzysztof Lenczowski
  9. Przed nocą wieczną op. 3 nr 6 (lyrics: Zygmunt Krasiński)
    arr. Mateusz Smoczyński
  10. W wieczorną ciszę op. 3 nr 8 (lyrics: Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer)
    arr. Mateusz Smoczyński
  11. Pod jaworem (traditional folk lyrics)
    arr. Michał Zaborski

Recorded in the Concert Hall of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin
Publisher: Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin
Release date: February 5, 2021

Essence

In 2022 the album “Essence” was released, which is a record of more than 10 years of the ensamble’s history, featuring new versions of songs from previous albums and 3 compositions recorded for the first time. The publisher of the album is Requiem Records.It is a completely unique album – it is not available in streaming services or in music stores. It can only be purchased during the Atom String Quartet concert or directly from the publisher. Essence was supposed to be a memento of the concert meeting with the audience. The album features songs that the quartet is most often asked about by fans. These are only the compositions of the band’s musicians – those that have been with them from the beginning of the band’s existence and those that have been created recently. Most of them can be found on previous albums: “Places” (2012) and “ATOMsphere” (2015). Performed on stage hundreds of times, they matured and evolved – so the band felt the need to re-record them. Three compositions: “Medium”, “Namysłowiak” and “Melody of the Prairie” were recorded in this form for the first time.

Tracklist:

  1. Medium Dawid Lubowicz (2015)
  2. Namysłowiak Krzysztof Lenczowski (2016)
  3. Melody of the Prairie Michał Zaborski (2016)
  4. Happy Mateusz Smoczyński (2014)
  5. Winter Song Krzysztof Lenczowski (2013)
  6. First Waltz Dawid Lubowicz (2011)
  7. Ballad on the Death of Janosik Dawid Lubowicz (2014)
  8. First Breath Michał Zaborski (2015)
  9. Manhattan Island Mateusz Smoczyński (2011)
  10. Zakopane Mateusz Smoczyński (2010)

Recorded in the Concert Hall of the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin
Publisher: Requiem Records
Release date: 02/25/2022

Universum

We are pleased to hand over to you this new album titled UNIVERSUM, which comprises four original string quartets. Each was written by a different member of our ensemble, and each represents an individual vision of the quatet`s sound. They are like four stories told from our different perspectives.

By the time of recording this album, we had already worked itensely with one another for thirteen years. Each of theses four works thus reflects the multiplicity of our experience of working together as one living musical organism. Our performance style has matured over over all those years. We know our strong and weak points and have learned an awful lot about one another. Writing a piece for an ensemble one knows so well is undoubtedly a unique experience for every composer.

It should nevertheless be said that music-wise each of us is an individualist, pursuing his own fascinations and interests. Each has his own performance style and uses different performance techniques – an element that can be heard particularly well in our improvisations. Each of us listens to his own favourite bands, styles and genres – there is little overlap in this area. Our aesthetic preferences are highly varied and may at times coincide with the tastes of the other members while they prove quite different at other times.

Combining all there individual qualities into one coherent whole is a challenge that we have faced since the quartet`s beginnings. It is precisely the interaction of these qualities that defines our universum of sounds, “unlocalizable” and impossible to pigeonhole or relate to any labels other than that of Atom String Quartet.

Track list:

CD 1

Dawid Lubowicz

String Quartet No. 1 “Atomizations”

1. I. Interference

2. II. Entanglement

3. III. Cosmic Microwave Background

4. IV. Universe Expansion

Krzysztof Lenczowski

“Atlas of Butterflies”

5.  Peacock Butterfly

6. Common Brimstone

7.  Adonis Blue

8.  Old World Swallowtail

CD 2

Mateusz Smoczyński

String Quartet No. 1 “Pictures from Warsaw”

1. I. Foundation

2. II. Tears

3. III. Battle

4. IV. In Between

5. V. Uprising

6. VI. Death

7. VII. Crush

8. VIII. Present

Michal Zaborski

“Bolero”

9. Bolero

10. Air

11. Finale

Publisher: Warner Classics

Recorded at the Nowa Miodowa Concert Hall of the State Music School Complex No. 1 in Warsaw on August 18-20, 2022.

Piotr Taraszkiewicz – sound engineering, mix and mastering

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