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Debussy & Szymanowski: Quartets

ContemporaryRomantic, dramatic, virtuosic

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Details

Composer
Claude Debussy, Karol Szymanowski
Artist
Belcea Quartet
Format
CD
Discs
1
Label
Alpha
Released
Nov 28, 2025
Catalog #
ALPHA1074
UPC
3701624510742

About

This is the new recording we have been waiting for. Three years after Brahms (ALPHA792), the Belcea Quartet returns in a new formation: Suyeon Kang, their new second violin, joined the quartet in 2023. Today the Belcea Quartet presents a new recording of the Debussy Quartet - which they had previously recorded on their very first album 25 years ago - and two quartets by Karol Szymanowski, a composer they are particularly fond of and who possesses a unique and immediately identifiable musical language. The first quartet was composed in 1917 but the Russian Revolution intervened; it's premiere finally took place in 1924. Szymanowski - then a world-renowned composer and a leading figure in the reconstruction of musical life in the young Polish Republic - wrote his second quartet ten years after the first in 1927; it was premiered in Warsaw two years later.

Critic reviews

  • “Whether they already know both of Szymanowski’s string quartets or are encountering them for the first time, lovers of chamber music will find much to marvel at in this recording.”

    Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, Quarterly critic’s choice, March 2026

  • “The scherzo with its dominant pizzicato is terrific and full of energy, while the slow movement is deeply felt and beautifully played.”

    MusicWeb International, Recommended, January 2026

Tracklist 10 tracks

  1. 1 I. Animé et très décidé 06:51
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Animé et très décidé
    Duration
    06:51
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  2. 2 II. Assez vif et bien rythmé 03:59
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
    Duration
    03:59
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  3. 3 III. Andantino doucement expressif 07:51
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Andantino doucement expressif
    Duration
    07:51
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  4. 4 IV. Très modéré 08:06
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Très modéré
    Duration
    08:06
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  5. 5 I. Lento assai - Allegro moderato 07:53
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Lento assai - Allegro moderato
    Duration
    07:53
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  6. 6 II. Andantino semplice. In modo d'una canzone - Adagio dolcissimo - Lento assai 06:17
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Andantino semplice. In modo d'una canzone - Adagio dolcissimo - Lento assai
    Duration
    06:17
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  7. 7 III. Vivace - Scherzando alla burlesca - Vivace ma non troppo 04:21
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Vivace - Scherzando alla burlesca - Vivace ma non troppo
    Duration
    04:21
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  8. 8 I. Moderato dolce e tranquillo 08:23
    Track
    8
    Title
    I. Moderato dolce e tranquillo
    Duration
    08:23
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  9. 9 II. Vivace, scherzando 04:38
    Track
    9
    Title
    II. Vivace, scherzando
    Duration
    04:38
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet
  10. 10 III. Lento - Moderato 06:30
    Track
    10
    Title
    III. Lento - Moderato
    Duration
    06:30
    Composer
    Karol Szymanowski
    Ensemble
    Belcea Quartet