Bester Quartet (Poland)
(26.07.2009, 9:00 PM, Krakow Philharmonic)
The phonomenon on the world music map. The group consist of four brilliant instrumentalists, graduates of classical music. Characteristic feature of the band is playing music of wide stylistic spectrum, in which there were assimilated elements of classical music, jazz, avant garde and achievements of contemporary chamber music, where the foundation for building unique instrumental forms is improvisation. This formation is a new face of legendary The Cracow Klezmer Band, which had been created in 1997 in Krakow by the initiative of young generation musician, composer and accordionist – Jarosław Bester.
The band constantly draws attention of music critics and public all over the world, thanks to the original and artistically brave repertoire, based mainly on Bester's own compositions or prepared specially for this set of musicians. Bester Quartet has made countless number of recordings for television and radio stations and cooperated with many brilliant artists of jazz, klezmer and avant garde music (John Zorn, Tomasz Stańko, Grażyna Auguścik, John McLean, Don Byron, Frank London, Jorgos Skolias, Aaron Alexander, Ireneusz Socha and many others). The band has concerted in many prestigious music halls and clubs, for example in Poland, USA, UK, Taiwan, Czech Rep., Finland, Italy, Estonia, France, Ukraine, Hungary, Sweden, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Holland, Germany and Canada.
The effect of long-term cooperation with John Zorn's prestigious New York label Tzadik is releasing six albums there by the band so far.
„Improvising, open, temperamental (…). The explosive mixture, cultural pot, which surprises with various ideas and disarming dynamics – there is klezmer music, fascination by southern Europe folklore, improvisation, openess and unpredictability (bringing to mind Kronos Quartet experiments) and finally, energy and passion of rock bands”.
[Jacek Hawryluk, „Przekrój”; 'Krakowiacy i demony']
„Bester Quartet from the first sounds is beyond classifications. It is the music, which above all is constantly happening, is instantly born, is alive. Full of surprises and emotions. Sometimes lyrical and romantic, sometimes insanely expressive and violent. But all of it forms a coherent whole (…). The music is sophisticated and it's engaging the listener. You cannot remain unmoved by the sounds, which comes from the color palette of emotions of Bester Quartet. It is not mechanical music, show of technical abilities – it is an expression of the intrumentalists' souls, painting by sounds (…). Spectacle, art, which happens in front of the spectator's eyes. But the spectator becomes more of the listener here (…). The truth is around every sound here, building melody, composition and style of Bester Quartet”.
[Małgorzata Wieczorek, „Gazeta Wyborcza”]
„The concert was spontaneous, varied and exciting. (…) The quartet has sometimes almost lost itself in musical rapture. Their playing is the anthem of praise of: life, music, God – full of extasy and joy”.
[Agata Saraczyńska, „Gazeta Wyborcza”]
„The sound theatre of imagination, in which some sounds are getting new definitions and are falling into suggestive images and moods, exploding with emotions, condensed in music notes. The members of Bester Quartet are artists, who can achieve it without electronic tricks – only by the power of instrumental art, like the most skilled classical musicians. (…) The highhills of sophistication”.
[Anna S. Dębowska, „Gazeta Wyborcza”]
Band members:
Jarosław Bester – accordion
Jarosław Tyrała – violin
Oleg Dyyak – accordion, clarinet, percussion instruments
Wojciech Front – double bass