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
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