Laks: Chamber Works

Featuring

Erika Raum
Marie Bérard
Steven Dann
Winona Zelenka
Joaquin Valdepeñas
Frank Morelli

David Louie
Sarah Jeffrey
Dianne Werner
ARC Ensemble
Simon Laks

Did you know?

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Historical Context

During World War II, Szymon Laks was interned in the transit camp at Pithiviers and later deported to Auschwitz-Birkenau.

Performer Biography

The ARC Ensemble, which performs on this album, is known for its research and recovery of music lost to political suppression, particularly through its 'Music in Exile' series.

Critical Reception

Szymon Laks's view that music was powerless to improve conditions for prisoners in Auschwitz, and his 'backward-looking style', led to his musical legacy being largely ignored.

Composition History

Szymon Laks abandoned composition in June 1967, after the Six-Day War, feeling that writing music had lost its meaning.

Compositional Technique

While imprisoned in Auschwitz, Szymon Laks developed an orchestration technique called 'odeon' to allow any group to perform any work, regardless of missing musicians.

Composer Biography

Szymon Laks, the composer, studied mathematics at Wilno (now Vilnius) University before enrolling at the Warsaw Conservatory in 1921.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Szymon Laks's music is largely rooted in the pre-war language of the École de Paris, characterized by a neoclassical, transparent, and formally precise style.