Release Date: 03 March 2023
Label: DUX Recording Producers
Packaging Type: Jewel Case
No of Units: 1
Barcode: 5902547017372
Genres: Classical Orchestral
Description
This new release from DUX presents Henryk Gorecki's Beatus vir Op 38, Concerto-Cantata Op 65, and Canticum Graduum Op 27. Gorecki's Beatus vir, psalm for solo baritone, mixed choir, and large orchestra, Op. 38 to a text drawn from five psalms, was created on commission of Karol Wojtyla, the then metropolitan bishop of Krakow, on the occasion of the 900th anniversary of the death of St. Stanislaus. It was first performed during the first papal visit of John Paul II to Poland in 1979.
In the Beatus vir, Gorecki, in particular, fulfilled his desire to write a larger piece for choir and orchestra that would use and clearly refer to the well-known church traditions, beloved by him. The piece is permeated with harmonic arrangements, melodic phrases, and repeated textual psalmody, which are immediately understood by Polish listeners. Pope John Paul II commended the Beatus vir, thanking Górecki publicly for providing such a deep experience.
The Concerto-Cantata was commissioned by an American flautist of Slovak origin, Carol Wincenc, and consists of four expressively distinctive movements. The Recitativo, which opens the concerto, is a five-minute slow solo of the alto flute; the Arioso; a contrasting third movement, Concertino, which is a spontaneous, almost wild dance; and the fourth movement – a spiritual Arioso e corale.
The Canticum graduum was commissioned by the West German Radio Symphony Orchestra and dedicated to Otto Tomek, an editor of the radio station who was extremely kind to Polish music. Unlike the Old Polish Music, which operates with strong textural contrasts, the Canticum graduum is a sonically homogeneous piece.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM
"these works, in these remarkable recordings, are as fresh today as when they were written, and it is wonderful to see that their power is not lost on younger generations of musicians." – Gramophone
"The performances here are all clearly dedicated and assured. […] Those who would like to explore Górecki beyond the third symphony should consider this." – MusicWeb International
Tracklisting
Collegium Cantorum Choir, Janusz Siadlak
Jacek Szponarski, Szymon Mechlinski, Jolanta Pszczolkowsla-Pawlik
Jan Milosz Zarzycki, Witold Lutoslowski Lomza Chamber Philharmonic
Pawel Przytocki, Lódz Philharmonic Orchestra, Wojciech Niedziolka
Tomasz Ritter, Tansman Trio
Messages Quartet, Piotr Lato
Malgorzata Wasiucionek-Potera, Andrzej Karalow
Maciej Tworek, Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia luventus Orchestra
Eric Guo, Oh! Orchestra, Vaclav Luks
Hyuk Lee (piano), Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Andrzej Boreyko
Anna Gourari, Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana & Markus Poschner
Vladimir Delman; Milan RAI Symphony Orchestra
Thomas Schippers; Orchestra Sinfonica di Torino della Rai; New York Philharmonic Orchestra; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Liepaja Symphony Orchestra
Johanna Domotor; Meesun Hong Coleman; Stuttgarter Kammerorchester
Josef Krips; Various Orchestras
