Among the nearly 150 compositions written by Zbigniew Bargielski, there are four operas, several orchestral pieces (but no symphonies), concerti – for percussion, violin, trumpet, piano; Trigonalia for accordion, guitar, percussion and orchestra; numerous orchestral and chamber pieces with text (including settings of texts by Alicja Patey-Grabowska, Thomas Eliot, Franz Kafka, Kazimierz Wierzyński, and Markus Jaroschka). The list of works is dominated by chamber music for various instrumental line-ups. The name “sonata” appears only once in a title – in The Sonata of Forgetfulness for violin and piano of 1987. As we can see, the oeuvre that Zbigniew Bargielski has contributed to the history of traditional musical genres (in his own peculiar and autonomous fashion) consists of operas, instrumental concerti (including a triple one), and one sonata. There is one genre, however, which the composer exploits most intensively: the string quartet. This CD album is exclusively dedicated to that part of the composer’s output: six quartets plus two pieces for quartet with accordion and with clarinet.

Zbigniew Bargielski
CD 1
1. Quartet No. 1 “Alpine” 13:23
2.Quartet No. 2 “Spring 12:59
Quartet No. 3 “Still Life with a Scream” 
3. Preparatione 3:32
4. Action 13:18
5. Liberation 4:16
6. A Night of Farewells for accordion and string quartet 13:18

CD 2
1. Quartet No. 4 “Burning Time” 13:58
Quartet No. 5 “The Time That’s Passed”  
2. Ouverture 2:12
3. Bagatelle 1:38
4. Feuilles volantes 3:26
5. Burlesque 1:20
6. Nocturne 3:43
7. Tango melancolique 4:18
8. Romance sans paroles 4:19
9. A la maniére de blues 2:54
10. Fantaisie rustique 6:12
11. Quartet No. 6 “Dramatic” 13:41
12. Through the Looking Glass for string quartet with clarinet 12:28

Total time: 131:36