Jozef Elsner (1769-1854) was born in Silesia and spent most of his working life in Warsaw. Although he showed some sympathy for Polish culture and used, among other things, Polish texts for some of his operas, his cultural background was essentially German, which is not surprising under the Prussian domination of (Western) Poland. Curiously enough, Elsner owes its musical rebirth to the label 'Acte
… préalable', which focuses specifically on Polish music. In this case, it can only be understood as music written in cities and provinces that are now part of Poland, for there is no trace of any specific national Polish sound, despite the assurance in the booklet that Elsner also connects with Polish culture. felt connected. Only the Polonaise for violin and piano can make the connection, but that's only a miniature of less than two minutes. Much more impressive are the two beautiful Violin Sonatas op.10 from 1798 and the beautiful lyrical Piano Quartet op.15 from 1805. The pieces stand out for their melodic panache and original ideas. Is the reason that this label brings this music into the limelight perhaps a bit dubious, the music itself is by no means and deserves the attention of all fans of chamber music. (JvG) Is the reason that this label brings this music into the limelight perhaps a bit dubious, the music itself is by no means and deserves the attention of all fans of chamber music. (JvG) Is the reason that this label brings this music into the limelight perhaps a bit dubious, the music itself is by no means and deserves the attention of all fans of chamber music. (JvG)more
