With Bach through Poland

Performers:
Magdalena Podścielna — soprano
Daniel Oktawian Piotrowski — soprano
Jakub Foltak — alto
Tobias Hunger — tenorea
Jiří Miroslav Procházka — bass
BAROQUE COLLEGIUM 1685 — Choir & Orchestra
Agnieszka Żarska - music director, conductor

Repertoire:
Johann Sebastian Bach - Mass in B minor BWV 232

The concert “Great Mass in B minor in Krakow” is part of a recurring project entitled “With Bach through Poland”, which involves the presentation of Bach's opus magnum in all regions of Poland and the promotion of knowledge about the close links of the masterpiece with the history and culture of the Republic of Poland.

The performers of the concert are artists associated under the brand Baroque Collegium 1685, an international ensemble specializing in the performance of baroque music in the historical trend, founded and conducted by Agnieszka Żarska.

BAROQUE COLLEGIUM 1685, founded in 2016 and run by the conductor, musicologist and cultural manager Agnieszka Żarska, brings together passionate singers and renowned hip instrumentalists from Poland and abroad.

For a decade, with passion and consistency, he has been pursuing the mission of presenting and making his oratoric-cantata works available to the general public. It is a design team, valued for “attention to the style of the era, clarity of sound and lively, expressive interpretation”.

Baroque Collegium 1685 regularly collaborates with outstanding soloists of international renown. Among them are: Andreas Scholl, Peter Kooij, Olga Pasiecznik, Sonia Prina, Krystian Adam Krzeszowiak, Benedikt Kristjansson and others.

The ensemble has participated in many Polish music festivals, including: Baroque Opera Festival “Dramma per Musica”, Bach200uW, Kromer Biecz Festival, Bydgoszcz Baroque Stage, Gorczycki Festival, International Festival of Organ and Chamber Music in Sanok and others. It is the resident ensemble of the international Baroque Explorations Festival.

His achievements include high-quality live audio/video recordings of G.F.Handel's works made for the first time in Poland: Oratorium “Saul” with Peter Kooi in the title role and Ode “Alexander's Feast”, as well as selected Cantatas and Oratories of J. S. Bach broadcast on TVP Kultura.

In 2024, Ars Sonora released a two-disc album entitled: “Baroque Collegium 1685 live”, which included fragments of the band's concerts with the participation of renowned soloists. Baroque Collegium 1685 is the Laureate of the “Musical Eagles” 2024 edition, in the Event of the Year category with the performance of the Great Mass in B minor by J.S.Bach, with the participation of, among others, Andreas Scholl and Peter Kooi.

The ensemble, as an independent initiative, was born on the basis of grassroots, international artistic cooperation; it operates under the aegis of the Małopolska association Szczawnicki Kameralny.

More information: baroquecollegium1685.pl

“As a talented conductor, Agnieszka Żarska is able to create a unique working atmosphere that stimulates and motivates musicians to achieve truly unforgettable concert performances.”

Andreas Scholl

Agnieszka ŻARSKA - conductor, musicologist and creator and cultural manager is the initiator and artistic director of international cultural brands:

Festival BAROQUE EXPLORATIONS — since 2011

Ensemble BAROQUE COLLEGIUM 1685 — CHOIR and ORCHESTRA — since 2016

Baroque Vocal Master Classes — from 2019

The artist collaborates with outstanding artists of international renown such as: Andreas Scholl, Peter Kooij, Sonia Prina, Olga Pasiecznik, Benedikt Kristjansson, Krystian Adam Krzeszowiak and others.

She has performed several dozen concerts with oratoric-cantata music, including a wide selection of Cantatas by J.S.Bach, also “Weihnachtsoratorium” BWV 248; Oratorio “Saul”, Oratorio “Messiah”, “Chandos Anthems” by G.F. Handel and “Requiem in D minor” by W.A. Mozart, as well as works by C. Monteverdi, M. A. Charpentier, M.R. Delalande, G.Ph. Telemann, A.Campry, Central European music: S.Capricornius, M.Mielczewski, M.Zieleński, S.S.Szarzyński, G.G.Gorczycki and music from the archive in Kromieryż. He is credited with realizing the contemporary world premiere of Godfrey Finger's mask “The Fate of Troy” from 1701.

As the first Polish conductor, she conducted and recorded the Oratory “Saul” and the Ode “Alexander's Feast” by G.F.Handel, as well as the Oratories of J.S.Bach (BWV 11, BWV 248) broadcast on TVP Kultura. The concert with the “Great Mass in H minor” conducted by Agnieszka Żarska by J.S.Bach was among the winners of the “Musical Eagles” award — 2024 edition in the Event of the Year category. In 2025, she inaugurated the implementation of the cyclical project “With Bach through Poland”, which involves the presentation of J.S.Bach's “Great Mass in B minor” in all regions of Poland.

A key element of Agnieszka Żarska's work as an interpreter and conductor is the analysis of sources and the study of music in a broad historical and cultural context.

The second important pillar of Agnieszka Żarska's activity is the management of cultural projects of international scope. Its Baroque Explorations Festival was the subject of the prestigious program “Visytówki Małopolska”, awarded the “Pearl of Pieniny” and the EFFE Label quality certificate, awarded by an international group of festival organizers.

Agnieszka Żarska is an effective and experienced fundreiser and administrator. He cooperates with cultural institutions and organizations in Poland and abroad as well as with diplomatic institutions. As part of individual projects, he creates and carries out promotional campaigns, promoting Baroque music to a wide audience.

photo: M. Mikołajczyk

Co-financed from the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage from the Culture Promotion Fund — a state special purpose fund, as part of the “Music” program, implemented by the National Institute of Music and Dance.