Concert as part of the XII International Days of Henry Nicholas Górecki Chorus

CONTRACTORS:

Daniel Sturridge - organs

The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble “Camerata Silesia”

Anna Szostak - conductor 

PROGRAMME:

Witold Szalonek

Bell for two boy choirs or mixed

Touché et choral  for organs

Katowice ballad for mixed choir and solo soprano

Organ interlude

Diptych for sixteen-piece mixed choir: Part I – Prayer

Organ interlude

Silesian folk ballad for solo soprano and mixed choir a cappella

About Jasiova Kasi for mixed choir a cappella

Opolski for mixed choir a cappella

Concert combined with the release of two albums with recordings of Witold Szalonek’s songs released by ANAKLASIS/PWM.

On December 3, we invite you to a special concert dedicated to the memory of the outstanding composer Witold Szalonek from Silesia, associated with the Katowice Academy of Music. The occasion is special, because this evening we will see the premiere of the four-disc edition of the album with songs and instrumental compositions of a Silesian master, visionary and innovative creator. The publisher of the album is ANAKLASIS, the album is recommended by the Polish Music Publishing Company.

On the stage of the concert hall of the Silesian Philharmonic, we will hear the artists who participated in the recording of the album: Ensemble of Singers of the City of Katowice Camerata Silesia under the direction of Anna Shostak and Daniel Strzęła (organs).

"Art, and in its areas to a serious extent music, is one of the most important elements of social connection, of interpersonal communication. Without art, man is dwarfed. This knowledge, perhaps not yet disordered, I took from my experience working with choirs," said Witold Szalonek. "I learned my love for music from these people," he added. Szalonek led amateur choirs: Heynał, at the Łagiewniki mine, and Echo, at the Śląsk mine.

In the Roughnecks. Fellow academics thought he was wasting his time exploring the possibilities of the first and most original instrument, that is, the human voice, but also singing as a language and at the same time needs of an almost primal nature.

SONGS ABOUT SILESIA - the first of the albums, which will be released on December 3, is a collection of vocal compositions by the Silesian master, perfectly highlighting the breadth of his horizons. He was a visionary, an innovative creator, but he did not shy away from inspiration from local folklore (O Jasowa Kasi, Katowice ballad, Opolskie, Silesian folk ballad for solo soprano and mixed choir) or sacred music (Litania Loretańska to the Blessed Virgin Mary, Miserere), he wrote songs that are simple and extremely complex. During the concert we will hear a piece from this release, performed by the Ensemble of Singers of the City of Katowice Camerata Silesia under the direction of Anna Szostak.

Witold Szalonek claimed that his work was a search for the musical soul of an instrument. That definition could be shortened: his music is a search. He made his discoveries in different territories and with different tools, but half a century of his compositional work was about experimenting with traditional ingredients, building an individual language on a classical foundation, studying Bach and Chopin, listening to his immediate surroundings, including folk music. The second of the discs, CONNECTIONS, contains selected Szalonka compositions. The oldest is a Toccata polyphonica for string orchestra from 1954, written while still in college and in Confessions. A Triptych for Words by Kazimiera Iłlakowicz for a reciting voice, a mixed choir and a chamber orchestra, a piece from 1959 that enabled the Katowice artist to exist in international circulation - they are here next to the latest, for example, L'Hautbois mon amour (1999), which is a confession of love for both, and for the soloist (here: Maximilian Lipiń, first oboist NOSPR) quite a challenge. The other performers are: Tomasz Konieczny (bass-baritone), Ania Karpowicz (flute), Urszula Kryger (alto), Joanna Freszel (voice), the Ensemble of Singers of the City of Katowice Camerata Silesia and the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy.

~~ The Silesian Philharmonic

Co-organiser of the concert - Polish Music Publishing / ANAKLASIS 

Passion according to St. The Mark of Paweł Mykietyin is both a work of great passion and a symbol of revolutionary changes in this genre. From the choice of text, based on all the Gospels and the Book of Isaiah, presenting the story on two timelines, to the embodiment of Christ with a female voice, the presence of aggressive rock and microtonality in the orchestra. The theme of the work is not only the Passion of Christ, but suffering as an element of human existence. Mykietyn combines tradition with sonoristic technique, concrete music or rock, classical singing with natural sounds of emotions, melorecitation, Sprechgesang.

Artists:

Urszula Kryger

Kasia Moś

The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble “Camerata Silesia” 

„Pueri Claromontani” Boys’ and Boys’ Choir

AUKSO - Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy 

Marek Moś - conductor

Magdalena Cielecka - narrator

Tomasz Cyz - director

Katarzyna Łuszczyk | light dir.

Monika Stolarska, Piotr Bontro | Video

Actresses/Performers:

Anna Bieżyńska

Karolina Bruchnicka

Emma Giegzno

Patrycja Grzywińska

Veronika Humaj

Alicia Juszkiewicz

Angelika Kurowska

Anastasia Małocha

Alexandra Piotrowska

Karina Rezner

21 November 2024 / 19:30

National Philharmonic, Warsaw

Repertoire:

Arvo Pärt

Da pacem Domine for choir and a cappella

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Fratres for saxophone quartet

Paweł Łukaszewski

Aaronic Blessing for two mixed choir and a cappella

Gija Kanczeli

Amao omi for mixed choir and saxophone quartet

The compositions of Arvo Pérta and Gia Kanczeli are imbued with a deep reflection on the meaning of life, touching on universal issues of human experience. Their ubiquitous minimalism creates a space for introspection and meditation, allowing for a focus that carries with it the element of metaphysics. In the context of contemporary conflicts, unrest, and even fashionable trends of mindfulness, this music allows us to focus on what is really important and beautiful. It opens up a space for the listener to reflect on his own life and the world around him. Fratres Arvo Pérta, one of his most famous works, has had many arrangements for various instrumental compositions. The string quartet version is unique: it enhances the song's hypnotizing and transcendent sound, opening up new possibilities for interpretation. The title of Amao Omi Gii's work in Georgian means "war of the senseless." It reflects the composer’s commitment to spreading pacifism and reflections on human brutality and the absurdity of war.

Contractors:

The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble "Camerata Silesia”

Anna Szostak - conductor

Nemesis Saxophone Quartet:

Lukasz Dyczko - soprano saxophone

Oskar Rzyzewski - alto saxophone

Karol Mastalerz - tenor saxophone

Wojciech Chalupka - baritone saxophone

November 16th, 2024 / 7:30 p.m.

NOSPR, Katowice 

Concert „V-th do not kill”

Concert on the 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko

Programme:

Marcin Zdunik - Litany to the Heart of Jesus „Cor Jesu” for solo voice, choir and orchestra

Samuel Barber - Agnus Dei

Ola Gjeilo - Serenity (O Magnum Mysterium) for choir and cello

Tomasz Bojarczuk:

- Psalm 25 „To You I lift up my soul”

- Psalm 96 „Sing to the Lord a new song”

Conductors:

Soloists:

Olga Bończyk

Karolina Kram-Chojnacka

Maciej Miecznikowski

Stanislaw Zyskowski

Marcin Zdunik - cello

Slawek Kosinski - guitar

The Katowice City Singers' Ensemble „Camerata Silesia”

Anna Szostak - conductor of choir

Hubert Kowalski - conductor

Narratives:

Agnieszka Wawrzkiewicz

Marcin Kwasny

20.10.2024 / 5 p.m.

Academic Church of St. The Holy Spirit, Toruń