POLISH CHORAL ROMANTICISM

Choral music as the best, most accessible and democratic form of music is a great starting point for exploring the richness of classical music in general.

What is Polish Choral Romanticism? It is an undertaking that restores our memory, and often discovers before us music that we do not know and do not have the opportunity to listen to very often. The concert program takes us through various compositions of a religious nature (however, let us not be misled by an excerpt from Adam Münchheimer's opera Pradyot entitled Prayer — but it is opera music!).

The most recognizable among this group is undoubtedly Stanisław Moniuszko — the author of the Polish national opera, a figure from monuments, patron of schools and streets, but also a creator who devoted a lot of time in his activity to choral and religious music.

Lovers of Chopin's music will be familiar with the name of his professor — Józef Elsner, who apart from his pedagogical activity was also a very prolific composer. Feliks Nowowiejski contributed to the revival of choral activity in Wielkopolska, leaving extensive achievements in this field.

In the work of Zygmunt Noskowski, associated primarily with symphonic music, we also find compositions for choir — both secular and religious. The panorama of choral religious compositions of the second half of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century will be complemented by works by Piotr Studziński, Piotr Maszyński, Józef Krogulski and Wacław Gieburowski.

Concert co-organized by the National Institute of Music and Dance as part of the program “Stage of Polish Music”, financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage

photo: Robert Tyska