String Trio, Op. 10

Józef Koffler (1896–1944) looked to Vienna for inspiration. Born in Stryj, Koffler was associated for most of his life with Lwów musical institutions. During his studies in Vienna, he became acquainted with the dodecaphonic (12-tone) technique, characteristic of compositions by Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg, and Anton Webern. Upon his return to Lwów, Koffler became the first Polish composer to embrace this technique consistently. His works, as exemplified by the string trio, tend toward the more lyrical idiom of Berg (as opposed to the more abstract works of Webern). Listening to the expressive power and compositional craft of Koffler’s avant-gardist work, one realizes what an extraordinary loss for Polish music was his brutal death at the hands of the Nazis and the destruction of nearly half of his compositions.

Józef Koffler (1896–1944)

1928

Jihyang Seo, Violin
Yenhsuan Lee, Viola
Jordan Enzinger, Cello