Record Reviews

BARTLOMIEJ OLES ~ STRING QUARTETS AUDIO CAVE 2025/005 (Barcode: 5908451336011) ~ POLAND ~ Classical Recorded: 2024 Released: 2025 This is the 2nd album by Polish composer Bartlomiej OlesFind albums by this artist, which presents his new musical alter ego, based in Classical Music, after years of creating music within the Jazz and Improvised Music idioms. This time Oles presents his first three string quartets, composed over a period of two decades, performed by the Piotr Steczek QuartetFind albums by this artist. The quartets have six, one and two moments subsequently, i.e. altogether there are nine tracks on the album, which offers excellent sound quality. The music is deeply contemplative, with cohesive melodic continuity and somewhat minimalist emotional approach, but manages to keep the listener in a state of tension and expectation for the entire duration. Of course, this kind of music is extremely personal and the individual reaction from the listeners might generate a wide range of emotional reactions, but its aesthetic values and elegance are undeniable. One might speculate why a renowned Jazz musician might wish to express himself in such poles apart musical environment? But honestly it would be quite a waste of time; what matters is if this new way to express his musical persona creates a valuable outcome, and of course in this case the answer is absolutely positive. So leaving any stigmatic preconceptions aside, let’s just embrace this new embodiment of Bartlomiej Oles for what it is, rather than see him following our expectations. Overall, this is a wonderful example of contemporary Classical Music, full of depth and emotion, novel ideas and individuality, on top of just being beautiful music. Hats off Bartek, keep doing what you heart tells you to do and hopefully this music will find a wide audience of listeners, who will embrace it wholeheartedly, as it truly deserves.

Updated: 27/08/2025Posted: 27/08/2025

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