BAROQUE FOUND

The history of Polish music still hides many secrets from us and has numerous white plans. A good example is the extremely valuable work of Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński. The preserved compositions testify to the fact that their author was able to use the achievements of European mature baroque music. It is hard to believe that although music has survived to our times, we actually know nothing about the composer himself. The dates of his birth and death are unknown, it is not certain when his compositions were created - most likely at the turn of the 17th and 18th centuries. It is known where copies of his works were found, and hence the assumption that he acted in Łowicz, but this is not certain either. Fortunately, a lot of his music has survived, including solo concerts (including Ave Regina, Iesu spes mea, Veni Sancte Spiritus). We know much more about the other composers — Marcin Mielczewski, who was associated with the royal court as a musician and served as the bandmaster of Karol Ferdinand Vaza — brother of King Władysław IV, who died in September 1651 in Warsaw. Much is known about another composer who composed in the 17th century — Kaspar Förster associated with Gdańsk, who was also a singer with an unprecedented scale of voice. The concert program will also lead us to the next era — classicism. This is due to the composition of Antoni Milwid, active in the second half of the 18th century. His biography brings more question marks than answers. Fortunately, there are many musicians ready to look for them today, including the artists we will hear during this concert.

Concert co-organized by the National Institute of Music and Dance as part of the program “Scena Muzyka Polskiej”