Carols with Karol Christmas carols and improvisations

Although this has not always been the case, nowadays we listen to Christmas music mainly before and during the holidays. The last days before Christmas Eve are undoubtedly a good time to visit NFM, as Karol Mossakowski, director of the organ concert series, together with the NFM Choir conducted by Lionel Sow, will perform religious compositions by Benjamin Britten and Zoltán Kodály. In the second part of the evening, carols will sound in an improvised form jointly by the singers and the instrumentalist.

Can religious exhilaration be experienced in an eccentric, peculiar way? The answer will become clear as soon as we delve into the text of the eighteenth-century poet Christopher Smart's Jubilate Agno, for whose music was written in 1943 by Benjamin Britten. Rejoice in the Lamb is a short cantata based on selected lines from this remarkable poem. The author speaks in them as the voice of nature constantly giving glory to God. Among other things, we will hear a famous passage about his beloved Jeoffrey, one of the most famous cats of English literature. Moreover, Smart as a servant of God described not only this creature, but also a mouse, as well as letters of the alphabet and flowers. Britten's ascetic but delicate sound language will certainly not lack the spirit of Christmas, despite the fact that the composition was created for another occasion.

Solemn and joyful, on the other hand, is Zoltán Kodály's last completed work, Laudes Organi from 1966. Hungary reached for the text of a twelfth-century hymn in honor of organs, or more broadly: instrumental music. It was the instrument of the “modern” way of giving glory to God. Organ polyphony is a nod to the works of old times, although the technique of the twentieth century remains clear. The discerning will hear that Kodály has successfully illustrated with sound words that speak of the nuances of composition and performance. After the break, Karol Mossakowski, who is an excellent improviser, will create an unusual, festive atmosphere with the NFM Choir, who enjoys performing challenges. Christmas carols will be carried in the Main Hall of the NFM!