Ivan Brkanović: String Quartet No. 1

Composed in 1933 during his studies at the Academy of Music in Zagreb, String Quartet No. 1 is one of the key achievements of Ivan Brkanović’s early creative period. Despite being composed during the formative period of his life – when Brkanović was just beginning to establish himself – it is a work that exudes maturity, with recognisable stylistic features of his distinctive expression. Within a firmly constructed and well-balanced formal framework, expressive melodic lines, vigorous rhythmic activity, and a dense polyphonic texture are rooted in elements of traditional folk music, though without recourse to direct quotation.
Premiered in 1934 by the Zagreb Quartet, this piece laid a solid foundation for the composer’s later, more complex instrumental works. In 1955, Brkanović revised String Quartet No. 1 for string orchestra, reworking it into a composition entitled Concertino for String Orchestra.

HDS, Cantus, 2026.
Edition No: Can. 405-3787
ISMN 979-0-801363-78-7