Grażyna Bacewicz is now emerging from the shadow of her Polish contemporaries, such as Panufnik and Lutosławski, on the international stage. She constantly sought ways to develop her style and it is this continuous line of development that is perfectly exemplified in her series of string quartets. String Quartet No. 2 was premièred in 1943 in challenging circumstances but attests to her positive spirit. The prizewinning String Quartet No. 4 is one of her most performed works, perfectly balancing formal complexity, approachable themes and harmonic sophistication. The powerful and intense String Quartet No. 5 is a compositional tour de force. Volume 1 can be heard on Naxos 8.572806.