PENDERECKI. Utrenja. Hossa • Rehlis • Kusiewicz • Nowacki • Bezzubenkov.
Warsaw Boys' Choir. Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra. Antoni Wit. 8.
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Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and in 1958 Witold Rowicki was again appointed artistic director and principal conductor, a post he held until 1977, when he was succeeded by Kazimierz Kord, serving until the end of the centenary celebrations in 2001. In 2002 Antoni Wit became general and artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic – The National Orchestra and Choir of Poland. The orchestra has toured widely abroad, in addition to its busy schedule at home in symphony concerts, chamber concerts, educational work and other activities. It now has a complement of 110 players.
Antoni Wit Antoni Wit, one of the most highly regarded Polish conductors, studied conducting with Henryk Czyz and composition with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Academy of Music in Kraków, subsequently continuing his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He also graduated in law at the Jagellonian University in Kraków. Immediately after completing his studies he was engaged as an assistant at the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra by Witold Rowicki and was later appointed conductor of the Poznan Philharmonic, collaborated with the Warsaw Grand Theatre, and from 1974 to 1977 was artistic director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic, before his appointment as director of the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra and Chorus in Kraków, from 1977 to 1983. From 1983 to 2000 he was the director of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, and from 1987 to 1992 he was the chief conductor and then first guest conductor of Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. In 2002 he became General and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. His international career has brought engagements with major orchestras throughout Europe, the Americas and the Near and Far East. He has made nearly a hundred records, including an acclaimed release for Naxos of the piano concertos of Prokofiev, awarded the Diapason d’Or and Grand Prix du Disque de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque. In January 2002 his recording of the Turangalîla Symphony by Olivier Messiaen (8.554478-79) was awarded the Cannes Classical Award in Midem Classic 2002. In 2004 he received the Classical Internet Award and was nominated for a Grammy for his Naxos recording of Penderecki’s St Luke Passion (8.557149), with a further nomination in 2005 for Penderecki’s Polish Requiem (8.557386-87). Antoni Wit is a professor at the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.
This recording was sponsored by PZU 8.572031
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PENDERECKI Utrenja Hossa • Rehlis • Kusiewicz • Nowacki • Bezzubenkov Warsaw Boys’ Choir Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
Antoni Wit
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Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir
Krzysztof
PENDERECKI
The Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1952 by Zbigniew Soja and gave its first concert in May 1953, under the then artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Witold Rowicki. The present chorus-master Henryk Wojnarowski has held this position since 1978. In its wide repertoire the choir has more than 150 oratorios and choral works ranging from the medieval to the contemporary. Each year the choir collaborates in some ten symphony and oratorio concerts with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the most important part of its artistic activity. The choir also performs regularly at the Warsaw Autumn Festival and in Wrocław at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival. Many of these concerts have been recorded. Polish music, in particular works of Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Mikolaj Górecki and Wojciech Kilar, is a very important part of the choir’s repertoire. The choir has performed all Penderecki’s oratorios and a cappella works, as well as his opera Paradise Lost. The Warsaw Philharmonic Choir is also very active internationally, appearing throughout Europe and beyond. There have been collaborations with the most renowned orchestras, and participation in operas at La Scala, Milan, La Fenice, and in other major houses. In 1988 and 1990 the choir was invited to the Vatican to take part in celebrations of the successive anniversaries of Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, concerts that were televised and broadcast throughout Europe. In December 2001 the choir, together with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, performed for John Paul II once again in a special concert commemorating the centenary of the Warsaw Philharmonic, this time presenting the Missa pro pace by Wojciech Kilar. Among the conductors who have performed with the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir have been Witold Rowicki, Jerzy Semkow, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Leopold Stokowski, Gary Bertini, Sergiu Comissiona, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Igor Stravinsky and, of course, Antoni Wit, who is the Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic, the National Orchestra and Choir of Poland.
(b. 1933)
Utrenja (1970-71) . Part I: Zloz enie Chrystusa do grobu (The Entombment of Christ) 1 2 3 4
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I. Troparion (incipit: “Blaniy s dresnyem s dreva prechistoye…”) II. Pies´ ni pochwalne (Songs of Praise) (incipit: “Blagosloven yesi Hospodi…”) III. Irmos (incipit: “Bogoyavleniya Tvoyego, Hristye…”) IV. Kanon Wielkiej Soboty, Pies´ n´ 9 (Canon of Holy Saturday, Song 9) (incipit: “Slava otsu i Sinu i Svyatomu…”) V. Irmologion (Stichira) (incipit: “Tyebye odyeyushchagosya…”)
Part II: Zmartwychwstanie Pan´skie (The Resurrection of Christ) 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ #
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I. Ewangelia (The Gospel) II. Stichira III. Psalm z Troparionem (Psalm with Troparion) IV. Kanon Paschy, Pies´ ni 1, 3 (Passover Canon, Songs 1 and 3) V. Kanon Paschy, Pies´ n´ 8 (Passover Canon, Song 8) VI. Kontakion VII. Ikos VIII. Kanon Paschy, Fragmenty (Passover Canon, Fragments)
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Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra The National Philharmonic of Poland The first performance of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra took place on 5th November 1901 in the newly opened Philharmonic Hall under the artistic director and principal conductor, Emil Młynarski. The soloist was the world-renowned pianist, composer and future statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and the programme included Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor and works of other Polish composers, Chopin, Moniuszko, Noskowski, Stojowski and Z˙ elen´ski. In the succeeding years the orchestra won a high reputation, collaborating with leading conductors and soloists, until the outbreak of war in 1939, the destruction of the Philharmonic Hall and the loss of 39 of its 71 players. Resuming activity after the war, the orchestra was conducted by Straszyński and Panufnik, and in January 1950 Witold Rowicki was appointed director and principal conductor, organizing a new ensemble under difficult conditions. In 1955 the rebuilt Philharmonic Hall was re-opened, with a large hall of over a thousand seats and a 433-seat hall for chamber music, recognised as the National Philharmonic of Poland. Subsequent conductors included Bohdan Wodiczko, Arnold Rezler and
34:38 2:35 6:39 8:22 3:43 2:50 2:41 1:43 6:04 2
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Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933)
Piotr Kusiewicz Piotr Kusiewicz enjoys a considerable reputation as a singer in oratorio. He studied piano and voice at the Gdan´sk Conservatory and in 1978 received first prize and two distinctions in the 13th International Antonin Dvořák Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary. He has appeared in concerts and operas both in Poland and abroad, and has sung in major venues throughout Poland and abroad, collaborating with leading conductors. Piotr Kusiewicz is much sought after for his interpretations of contemporary music. He performs works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Baculewski, Edward Pałłasz, Juliusz Łuciuk, Paweł Łukaszewski and Zbigniew Preisner, and has been entrusted with the premières of their works. Festival appearances include the Warsaw Autumn, the Gaude Mater (Człstochowa) and the Krzysztof Penderecki Festival. He is head and professor of the Vocal Department at the Gdan´sk Musical Academy and also teaches solo singing at the Musical Academy in Bydgoszcz. His thirty varied recordings include a release of Witold Lutosławski’s Paroles tissées for Naxos. In March 2008 Piotr Kusiewicz was awarded the Holy Cross.
Photo: Jacek Gilu´n
Piotr Nowacki The Polish bass Piotr Nowacki graduated from the Łódz´ Academy of Music in 1985. He has won prizes at vocal competitions in Warsaw, Kudowa, Bytom and Krynica, and took part in the finals of the Belvedere International Vocal Competition in Vienna, a success that brought him to La Scala, Milan, where he made his début in 1987 in the title-rôle in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan. He won a prize in the Luciano Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia and was subsequently invited to sing the part of Wurm in Verdi’s Luisa Miller. He has also performed in Washington and at the Pablo Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. Following his return from the United States in 1990, he has frequently sung at La Monnaie in Brussels and throughout Europe. His operatic repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss, and he has taken part in many concerts of oratorios, appearing as a guest at the international festivals in Edinburgh and Granada. He is a soloist of the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw.
Gennady Bezzubenkov People’s Artist of Russia, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, recipient of the State Prize of Russia, the Golden Sofit for his portrayal of Gurnemanz (Parsifal, 1997) and the Golden Mask, Russia’s highest theatre prize, for best male rôle in Wagner’s opera Parsifal (1998) and recipient of the Baltika prize (2002), the bass Gennady Bezzubenkov was born in Staraya Vitelevka, Ulyanovsk Region. He graduated from the Leningrad State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in 1979 and has been a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989. His repertoire includes over fifty rôles, ranging from Ivan Susanin, Varlaam, Pimen and Ivan Khovansky to the Commendatore, Don Alfonso, King Marke, Hunding and Gurnemanz. He has toured with the Mariinsky Opera Company to Germany, France, Scotland (the Edinburgh Festival), Israel, the United States (Metropolitan Opera), Finland, Italy, Spain, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, Luxembourg and Turkey, and his audio and video recordings with the Mariinsky Theatre include War and Peace, Ruslan and Lyudmila, Iolanta, Sadko, The Fiery Angel and The Tsar’s Bride.
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Utrenja Surprising though it may now seem, the appearance in 1962 of the Stabat Mater by Krysztof Penderecki caused something of a furore in avant-garde music circles. Coming soon after his radical orchestral works, the stark simplicity and emotional directness of the short choral piece led – not for the last time in the composer’s career – to accusations of his being reactionary and turning his back on musical progress. Over four decades on, however, the Stabat Mater can clearly be seen as having initiated that consolidation and synthesis which Penderecki was to pursue, to varying degrees and on different levels, in both the choral and instrumental domains. Equally worth bearing in mind is the composer’s stance, whether as a progressive composer within the conformist environment of post-Stalinist Poland or as a devout Catholic in a nominally atheist society. The Stabat Mater was among the first overt musical expressions of religious faith in Poland since the Second World War, and Penderecki did not hesitate to incorporate it into a fuller expression of faith when a suitable opportunity arose. In 1964 West German Radio commissioned a large-scale choral work to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the consecration of Münster Cathedral: the Passio et mors Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundam Lucam (St Luke Passion) being the outcome [Naxos 8.557149]. Moreover, the sheer diversity of choral and orchestral techniques employed was a paradigm for the large-scale choral works that Penderecki has since composed. Although they were conceived and written separately, the two parts of Penderecki’s Utrenja form a triptych with his St Luke Passion: one that deals with the events of the Paschal Triduum. Utrenja is inspired by the Orthodox liturgy of Holy Saturday, with its focus on the lamentation of Christ’s death and also of the Easter Sunday morning service which commemorates the Resurrection, and uses an Old Slavonic liturgical text without inhibition as to its traditional function and
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usage. Part One, Entombment (which is dedicated to the conductor Eugene Ormandy), was again commissioned by West German Radio. Its première took place in Altenberg on 8th April 1970 under Andrzej Markowski, followed by the Polish première in Kraków on 26th June 1971. The work is for three male voices, tenor, bass and basso profondo, which correspond, respectively, to the rôles of chaplain, deacon and lector, and for two female voices, soprano and mezzo-soprano, who fulfil purely musical rôles. The soloists are supported by two choirs along with an orchestra rich in brass and percussion. After the première, West German Radio promptly commissioned Penderecki to compose the second part of Utrenja. Thus Part Two, Resurrection, had its première on 28th May 1971 in Münster, again under Markowski. This performance was preceded by Entombment, and since then the two parts have generally (though not exclusively) been heard as a unity. The first Polish performance of the complete Utrenja duly took place in Kraków on 16th September 1971 with Jerzy Katlewicz conducting. It should be noted at this point that, while the critical reception was at best equivocal, the response from Polish audiences in the aftermath of a governmental crackdown following the Gdansk shipyard riots of the previous year was tumultuous. Part One commences with the Troparion, which starts with sepulchral intoning in the lowest registers of the chorus, gradually expanding in its harmonic complexity and also increasing in its expressive density. Jagged phrases emerge out of the texture before this fades out in the depths. Only with the Songs of Praise does the orchestra enter, percussion soon being joined by glowering brass then rushing strings and also woodwind. The mezzo-soprano now has a solo which is echoed by the basso profondo and chorus, the latter soon alighting on a harmonic cluster taking in responses from both of the soloists, underpinned by complex choral textures. The tempo increases and the soloists
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utter fragmentary gestures over pizzicato strings and percussion, leading to a more restrained choral cluster. The soprano and mezzo-soprano now launch an impassioned build-up, before the male soloists see the work’s longest section through to a close against sparse percussion. The Irmos begins with disembodied choral writing that soon extends to spoken as well as to shouted gestures. This once again evolves into a swarming texture, though here with the strident sound of sopranos at its apex. Gradually dying down, it expires in a haze of breathless whispering and rustlings. Sombre brass chords introduce the Canon of Holy Saturday, then the bass launches a powerful monologue. This is contrasted, from the start of the Stichira, with the unison chanting of male voices such as grows steadily and also remorselessly into a subdued choral complex to which brass and woodwind contribute at the very top of their compass. There then follows a prolonged and resonant climax that draws on the entire complement of choral and orchestral resources, before leaving the chorus to die down in fragmented textures toward a sombre close, in the depths of the bass voices with which the work had opened. Part Two opens with The Gospel, which begins with a tocsin-like percussive outburst alternating with spoken and sung choral chants. Brass and bells then enter for a second Stichira, before the sound of unison chanting emerges in distinctive contrast. A powerful climax now ensues, from which the bass and basso profondo soon emerge in fervent imploring. The chorus responds with further unison chant, the two alternating on the way to a
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passage of unison female voices and plangent woodwind. The tenor has an impassioned solo against forceful percussion. There follows the Psalm with Troparion, which amalgamates the various facets from the proceeding two sections into a sustained outpouring where the deployment of the orchestra is heard at its most resourceful. Choral chanting over aggressive percussion brings the work’s brass-capped climax, making way for a passage where soprano and mezzo are heard in fervent supplication. The remainder of the work will be dominated by settings from the Passover Canon. The First and Third Songs are drawn upon in music which involves the soloists and the chorus in a powerful entreaty, intensified by the clamour of brass and percussion. Then, the Eighth Song is made the basis of a section in which the wind and percussion trade vivid gestures, the choral writing being relatively subdued until the male soloists have assumed the foreground. Their contribution leads into the Kontakion, a relatively inward section that draws on all five soloists for the first and only time in the work. Equally serene choral chanting, soon juxtaposed with that of the basso profondo, informs the Ikos. Suddenly, Fragments drawn from the Passover Canon emerge with baleful immediacy, the orchestra then adding its weight to an outburst in which the unison choral chanting resumes. A last massive tutti for voices and instruments, as if encapsulating the emotional extremes of the work, at length fades into silence. Richard Whitehouse
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Iwona Hossa Polish soprano Iwona Hossa graduated in 1998 at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan´ as a pupil of Ewa Wdowicka. She has won many prizes, including the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Maria Callas International Singing Competition in Athens and the Mozart Special Prize at the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition in Nowy Sącz. She was also a finalist of the Francisco Viñas International Vocal Competition in Barcelona, the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, and the Orfeo 2000 International Vocal Competition in Hanover. She has taken part in many vocal masterclasses, including those by Helena Lazarska, Leopold Spitzer, Ewa Podles, Sylwia Geszty and Ryszard Karczykowski. In 1996 she made her début as Violetta in La traviata at the State Opera in Poznan´, and since 2000 has been a soloist at the National Opera in Warsaw. Her repertoire there includes leading rôles in Moniuszko’s operas, recorded also for EMI, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Philippe in Penderecki’s The Devils of Loudun, Norina in Don Pasquale, Violetta, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the title rôle in Aida, and Roxana in King Roger. She has taken part in several opera festivals, including Carcassone, Wexford and Pesaro, and has an extensive repertoire in oratorio and chamber music. In 2004 she received the Andrzej Hiolski Award for the best female rôle at the National Opera in Warsaw. Iwona Hossa has worked with conductors including Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Maurizio Benini, David Jones, and David Agler.
Agnieszka Rehlis The mezzo-soprano Agnieszka Rehlis graduated with honours from the Vocal and Acting Department of Wrocław’s K. Lipin´ski Academy of Music in 1996. She held a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Art from 1993 to 1996. As a student, she won first prize in the Franciszka Platówna Vocal Competition in Wrocław, and in 1994 she won third prize in the oratorio category and a special prize for her rendition of Principes persecuti sunt, from Władysław Z˙ elen´ski’s Communio, in the Third Inter-University Vocal Competition in Duszniki-Zdrój. She made her début at the Wrocław Opera in the part of Jadwiga in Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor, a production celebrating the opera house’s fiftieth anniversary. She has also sung many other major opera parts, including Fenena in Nabucco, Maddalena, Siebel, Cherubino, Mercedes in Carmen, Meg Page in Falstaff and Flora in La Traviata. She has appeared with Wrocław Opera on tour in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy as well as at the Taipei National Theatre in Taiwan. A large part of her concert activity involves oratorio concerts with a repertoire of more than 45 works, ranging from Bach to Penderecki, with performances throughout Europe. With the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra conducted by Penderecki, she has given numerous performances of his Te Deum and A Polish Requiem and of Dvořák’s Requiem. In January 2000 she sang in Krzysztof Penderecki’s Seven Gates of Jerusalem at Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes, in a performance conducted by the composer himself and recorded on DVD.
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utter fragmentary gestures over pizzicato strings and percussion, leading to a more restrained choral cluster. The soprano and mezzo-soprano now launch an impassioned build-up, before the male soloists see the work’s longest section through to a close against sparse percussion. The Irmos begins with disembodied choral writing that soon extends to spoken as well as to shouted gestures. This once again evolves into a swarming texture, though here with the strident sound of sopranos at its apex. Gradually dying down, it expires in a haze of breathless whispering and rustlings. Sombre brass chords introduce the Canon of Holy Saturday, then the bass launches a powerful monologue. This is contrasted, from the start of the Stichira, with the unison chanting of male voices such as grows steadily and also remorselessly into a subdued choral complex to which brass and woodwind contribute at the very top of their compass. There then follows a prolonged and resonant climax that draws on the entire complement of choral and orchestral resources, before leaving the chorus to die down in fragmented textures toward a sombre close, in the depths of the bass voices with which the work had opened. Part Two opens with The Gospel, which begins with a tocsin-like percussive outburst alternating with spoken and sung choral chants. Brass and bells then enter for a second Stichira, before the sound of unison chanting emerges in distinctive contrast. A powerful climax now ensues, from which the bass and basso profondo soon emerge in fervent imploring. The chorus responds with further unison chant, the two alternating on the way to a
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passage of unison female voices and plangent woodwind. The tenor has an impassioned solo against forceful percussion. There follows the Psalm with Troparion, which amalgamates the various facets from the proceeding two sections into a sustained outpouring where the deployment of the orchestra is heard at its most resourceful. Choral chanting over aggressive percussion brings the work’s brass-capped climax, making way for a passage where soprano and mezzo are heard in fervent supplication. The remainder of the work will be dominated by settings from the Passover Canon. The First and Third Songs are drawn upon in music which involves the soloists and the chorus in a powerful entreaty, intensified by the clamour of brass and percussion. Then, the Eighth Song is made the basis of a section in which the wind and percussion trade vivid gestures, the choral writing being relatively subdued until the male soloists have assumed the foreground. Their contribution leads into the Kontakion, a relatively inward section that draws on all five soloists for the first and only time in the work. Equally serene choral chanting, soon juxtaposed with that of the basso profondo, informs the Ikos. Suddenly, Fragments drawn from the Passover Canon emerge with baleful immediacy, the orchestra then adding its weight to an outburst in which the unison choral chanting resumes. A last massive tutti for voices and instruments, as if encapsulating the emotional extremes of the work, at length fades into silence. Richard Whitehouse
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Iwona Hossa Polish soprano Iwona Hossa graduated in 1998 at the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music in Poznan´ as a pupil of Ewa Wdowicka. She has won many prizes, including the Grand Prix and Gold Medal at the Maria Callas International Singing Competition in Athens and the Mozart Special Prize at the Ada Sari International Vocal Competition in Nowy Sącz. She was also a finalist of the Francisco Viñas International Vocal Competition in Barcelona, the International Mozart Competition in Salzburg, and the Orfeo 2000 International Vocal Competition in Hanover. She has taken part in many vocal masterclasses, including those by Helena Lazarska, Leopold Spitzer, Ewa Podles, Sylwia Geszty and Ryszard Karczykowski. In 1996 she made her début as Violetta in La traviata at the State Opera in Poznan´, and since 2000 has been a soloist at the National Opera in Warsaw. Her repertoire there includes leading rôles in Moniuszko’s operas, recorded also for EMI, Rosina in Il barbiere di Siviglia, Philippe in Penderecki’s The Devils of Loudun, Norina in Don Pasquale, Violetta, Konstanze in Die Entführung aus dem Serail, Donna Anna in Don Giovanni, the title rôle in Aida, and Roxana in King Roger. She has taken part in several opera festivals, including Carcassone, Wexford and Pesaro, and has an extensive repertoire in oratorio and chamber music. In 2004 she received the Andrzej Hiolski Award for the best female rôle at the National Opera in Warsaw. Iwona Hossa has worked with conductors including Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Gabriel Chmura, Maurizio Benini, David Jones, and David Agler.
Agnieszka Rehlis The mezzo-soprano Agnieszka Rehlis graduated with honours from the Vocal and Acting Department of Wrocław’s K. Lipin´ski Academy of Music in 1996. She held a scholarship from the Ministry of Culture and Art from 1993 to 1996. As a student, she won first prize in the Franciszka Platówna Vocal Competition in Wrocław, and in 1994 she won third prize in the oratorio category and a special prize for her rendition of Principes persecuti sunt, from Władysław Z˙ elen´ski’s Communio, in the Third Inter-University Vocal Competition in Duszniki-Zdrój. She made her début at the Wrocław Opera in the part of Jadwiga in Moniuszko’s The Haunted Manor, a production celebrating the opera house’s fiftieth anniversary. She has also sung many other major opera parts, including Fenena in Nabucco, Maddalena, Siebel, Cherubino, Mercedes in Carmen, Meg Page in Falstaff and Flora in La Traviata. She has appeared with Wrocław Opera on tour in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, France and Italy as well as at the Taipei National Theatre in Taiwan. A large part of her concert activity involves oratorio concerts with a repertoire of more than 45 works, ranging from Bach to Penderecki, with performances throughout Europe. With the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra conducted by Penderecki, she has given numerous performances of his Te Deum and A Polish Requiem and of Dvořák’s Requiem. In January 2000 she sang in Krzysztof Penderecki’s Seven Gates of Jerusalem at Midem Classique 2000 in Cannes, in a performance conducted by the composer himself and recorded on DVD.
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Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933)
Piotr Kusiewicz Piotr Kusiewicz enjoys a considerable reputation as a singer in oratorio. He studied piano and voice at the Gdan´sk Conservatory and in 1978 received first prize and two distinctions in the 13th International Antonin Dvořák Vocal Competition in Karlovy Vary. He has appeared in concerts and operas both in Poland and abroad, and has sung in major venues throughout Poland and abroad, collaborating with leading conductors. Piotr Kusiewicz is much sought after for his interpretations of contemporary music. He performs works by Krzysztof Penderecki, Witold Lutosławski, Krzysztof Baculewski, Edward Pałłasz, Juliusz Łuciuk, Paweł Łukaszewski and Zbigniew Preisner, and has been entrusted with the premières of their works. Festival appearances include the Warsaw Autumn, the Gaude Mater (Człstochowa) and the Krzysztof Penderecki Festival. He is head and professor of the Vocal Department at the Gdan´sk Musical Academy and also teaches solo singing at the Musical Academy in Bydgoszcz. His thirty varied recordings include a release of Witold Lutosławski’s Paroles tissées for Naxos. In March 2008 Piotr Kusiewicz was awarded the Holy Cross.
Photo: Jacek Gilu´n
Piotr Nowacki The Polish bass Piotr Nowacki graduated from the Łódz´ Academy of Music in 1985. He has won prizes at vocal competitions in Warsaw, Kudowa, Bytom and Krynica, and took part in the finals of the Belvedere International Vocal Competition in Vienna, a success that brought him to La Scala, Milan, where he made his début in 1987 in the title-rôle in Rimsky-Korsakov’s The Tale of Tsar Saltan. He won a prize in the Luciano Pavarotti Competition in Philadelphia and was subsequently invited to sing the part of Wurm in Verdi’s Luisa Miller. He has also performed in Washington and at the Pablo Casals Festival in Puerto Rico. Following his return from the United States in 1990, he has frequently sung at La Monnaie in Brussels and throughout Europe. His operatic repertoire ranges from Monteverdi to Richard Strauss, and he has taken part in many concerts of oratorios, appearing as a guest at the international festivals in Edinburgh and Granada. He is a soloist of the Grand Theatre – National Opera in Warsaw.
Gennady Bezzubenkov People’s Artist of Russia, Honoured Artist of the RSFSR, recipient of the State Prize of Russia, the Golden Sofit for his portrayal of Gurnemanz (Parsifal, 1997) and the Golden Mask, Russia’s highest theatre prize, for best male rôle in Wagner’s opera Parsifal (1998) and recipient of the Baltika prize (2002), the bass Gennady Bezzubenkov was born in Staraya Vitelevka, Ulyanovsk Region. He graduated from the Leningrad State Rimsky-Korsakov Conservatory in 1979 and has been a Mariinsky Theatre soloist since 1989. His repertoire includes over fifty rôles, ranging from Ivan Susanin, Varlaam, Pimen and Ivan Khovansky to the Commendatore, Don Alfonso, King Marke, Hunding and Gurnemanz. He has toured with the Mariinsky Opera Company to Germany, France, Scotland (the Edinburgh Festival), Israel, the United States (Metropolitan Opera), Finland, Italy, Spain, Austria, The Netherlands, Belgium, Japan, Portugal, Luxembourg and Turkey, and his audio and video recordings with the Mariinsky Theatre include War and Peace, Ruslan and Lyudmila, Iolanta, Sadko, The Fiery Angel and The Tsar’s Bride.
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Utrenja Surprising though it may now seem, the appearance in 1962 of the Stabat Mater by Krysztof Penderecki caused something of a furore in avant-garde music circles. Coming soon after his radical orchestral works, the stark simplicity and emotional directness of the short choral piece led – not for the last time in the composer’s career – to accusations of his being reactionary and turning his back on musical progress. Over four decades on, however, the Stabat Mater can clearly be seen as having initiated that consolidation and synthesis which Penderecki was to pursue, to varying degrees and on different levels, in both the choral and instrumental domains. Equally worth bearing in mind is the composer’s stance, whether as a progressive composer within the conformist environment of post-Stalinist Poland or as a devout Catholic in a nominally atheist society. The Stabat Mater was among the first overt musical expressions of religious faith in Poland since the Second World War, and Penderecki did not hesitate to incorporate it into a fuller expression of faith when a suitable opportunity arose. In 1964 West German Radio commissioned a large-scale choral work to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the consecration of Münster Cathedral: the Passio et mors Domini nostri Iesu Christi secundam Lucam (St Luke Passion) being the outcome [Naxos 8.557149]. Moreover, the sheer diversity of choral and orchestral techniques employed was a paradigm for the large-scale choral works that Penderecki has since composed. Although they were conceived and written separately, the two parts of Penderecki’s Utrenja form a triptych with his St Luke Passion: one that deals with the events of the Paschal Triduum. Utrenja is inspired by the Orthodox liturgy of Holy Saturday, with its focus on the lamentation of Christ’s death and also of the Easter Sunday morning service which commemorates the Resurrection, and uses an Old Slavonic liturgical text without inhibition as to its traditional function and
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usage. Part One, Entombment (which is dedicated to the conductor Eugene Ormandy), was again commissioned by West German Radio. Its première took place in Altenberg on 8th April 1970 under Andrzej Markowski, followed by the Polish première in Kraków on 26th June 1971. The work is for three male voices, tenor, bass and basso profondo, which correspond, respectively, to the rôles of chaplain, deacon and lector, and for two female voices, soprano and mezzo-soprano, who fulfil purely musical rôles. The soloists are supported by two choirs along with an orchestra rich in brass and percussion. After the première, West German Radio promptly commissioned Penderecki to compose the second part of Utrenja. Thus Part Two, Resurrection, had its première on 28th May 1971 in Münster, again under Markowski. This performance was preceded by Entombment, and since then the two parts have generally (though not exclusively) been heard as a unity. The first Polish performance of the complete Utrenja duly took place in Kraków on 16th September 1971 with Jerzy Katlewicz conducting. It should be noted at this point that, while the critical reception was at best equivocal, the response from Polish audiences in the aftermath of a governmental crackdown following the Gdansk shipyard riots of the previous year was tumultuous. Part One commences with the Troparion, which starts with sepulchral intoning in the lowest registers of the chorus, gradually expanding in its harmonic complexity and also increasing in its expressive density. Jagged phrases emerge out of the texture before this fades out in the depths. Only with the Songs of Praise does the orchestra enter, percussion soon being joined by glowering brass then rushing strings and also woodwind. The mezzo-soprano now has a solo which is echoed by the basso profondo and chorus, the latter soon alighting on a harmonic cluster taking in responses from both of the soloists, underpinned by complex choral textures. The tempo increases and the soloists
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Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir
Krzysztof
PENDERECKI
The Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir was founded in 1952 by Zbigniew Soja and gave its first concert in May 1953, under the then artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Witold Rowicki. The present chorus-master Henryk Wojnarowski has held this position since 1978. In its wide repertoire the choir has more than 150 oratorios and choral works ranging from the medieval to the contemporary. Each year the choir collaborates in some ten symphony and oratorio concerts with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, the most important part of its artistic activity. The choir also performs regularly at the Warsaw Autumn Festival and in Wrocław at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival. Many of these concerts have been recorded. Polish music, in particular works of Krzysztof Penderecki, Henryk Mikolaj Górecki and Wojciech Kilar, is a very important part of the choir’s repertoire. The choir has performed all Penderecki’s oratorios and a cappella works, as well as his opera Paradise Lost. The Warsaw Philharmonic Choir is also very active internationally, appearing throughout Europe and beyond. There have been collaborations with the most renowned orchestras, and participation in operas at La Scala, Milan, La Fenice, and in other major houses. In 1988 and 1990 the choir was invited to the Vatican to take part in celebrations of the successive anniversaries of Pope John Paul II’s pontificate, concerts that were televised and broadcast throughout Europe. In December 2001 the choir, together with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, performed for John Paul II once again in a special concert commemorating the centenary of the Warsaw Philharmonic, this time presenting the Missa pro pace by Wojciech Kilar. Among the conductors who have performed with the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir have been Witold Rowicki, Jerzy Semkow, Kazimierz Kord, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Krzysztof Penderecki, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Leopold Stokowski, Gary Bertini, Sergiu Comissiona, Lorin Maazel, Seiji Ozawa, Giuseppe Sinopoli and Igor Stravinsky and, of course, Antoni Wit, who is the Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic, the National Orchestra and Choir of Poland.
(b. 1933)
Utrenja (1970-71) . Part I: Zloz enie Chrystusa do grobu (The Entombment of Christ) 1 2 3 4
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I. Troparion (incipit: “Blaniy s dresnyem s dreva prechistoye…”) II. Pies´ ni pochwalne (Songs of Praise) (incipit: “Blagosloven yesi Hospodi…”) III. Irmos (incipit: “Bogoyavleniya Tvoyego, Hristye…”) IV. Kanon Wielkiej Soboty, Pies´ n´ 9 (Canon of Holy Saturday, Song 9) (incipit: “Slava otsu i Sinu i Svyatomu…”) V. Irmologion (Stichira) (incipit: “Tyebye odyeyushchagosya…”)
Part II: Zmartwychwstanie Pan´skie (The Resurrection of Christ) 6 7 8 9 0 ! @ #
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I. Ewangelia (The Gospel) II. Stichira III. Psalm z Troparionem (Psalm with Troparion) IV. Kanon Paschy, Pies´ ni 1, 3 (Passover Canon, Songs 1 and 3) V. Kanon Paschy, Pies´ n´ 8 (Passover Canon, Song 8) VI. Kontakion VII. Ikos VIII. Kanon Paschy, Fragmenty (Passover Canon, Fragments)
40:13 6:13 16:38 6:36 2:13 8:33
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra The National Philharmonic of Poland The first performance of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra took place on 5th November 1901 in the newly opened Philharmonic Hall under the artistic director and principal conductor, Emil Młynarski. The soloist was the world-renowned pianist, composer and future statesman Ignacy Jan Paderewski, and the programme included Paderewski’s Piano Concerto in A minor and works of other Polish composers, Chopin, Moniuszko, Noskowski, Stojowski and Z˙ elen´ski. In the succeeding years the orchestra won a high reputation, collaborating with leading conductors and soloists, until the outbreak of war in 1939, the destruction of the Philharmonic Hall and the loss of 39 of its 71 players. Resuming activity after the war, the orchestra was conducted by Straszyński and Panufnik, and in January 1950 Witold Rowicki was appointed director and principal conductor, organizing a new ensemble under difficult conditions. In 1955 the rebuilt Philharmonic Hall was re-opened, with a large hall of over a thousand seats and a 433-seat hall for chamber music, recognised as the National Philharmonic of Poland. Subsequent conductors included Bohdan Wodiczko, Arnold Rezler and
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Stanisław Skrowaczewski, and in 1958 Witold Rowicki was again appointed artistic director and principal conductor, a post he held until 1977, when he was succeeded by Kazimierz Kord, serving until the end of the centenary celebrations in 2001. In 2002 Antoni Wit became general and artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic – The National Orchestra and Choir of Poland. The orchestra has toured widely abroad, in addition to its busy schedule at home in symphony concerts, chamber concerts, educational work and other activities. It now has a complement of 110 players.
Antoni Wit Antoni Wit, one of the most highly regarded Polish conductors, studied conducting with Henryk Czyz and composition with Krzysztof Penderecki at the Academy of Music in Kraków, subsequently continuing his studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He also graduated in law at the Jagellonian University in Kraków. Immediately after completing his studies he was engaged as an assistant at the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra by Witold Rowicki and was later appointed conductor of the Poznan Philharmonic, collaborated with the Warsaw Grand Theatre, and from 1974 to 1977 was artistic director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic, before his appointment as director of the Polish Radio and Television Orchestra and Chorus in Kraków, from 1977 to 1983. From 1983 to 2000 he was the director of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice, and from 1987 to 1992 he was the chief conductor and then first guest conductor of Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria. In 2002 he became General and Artistic Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. His international career has brought engagements with major orchestras throughout Europe, the Americas and the Near and Far East. He has made nearly a hundred records, including an acclaimed release for Naxos of the piano concertos of Prokofiev, awarded the Diapason d’Or and Grand Prix du Disque de la Nouvelle Académie du Disque. In January 2002 his recording of the Turangalîla Symphony by Olivier Messiaen (8.554478-79) was awarded the Cannes Classical Award in Midem Classic 2002. In 2004 he received the Classical Internet Award and was nominated for a Grammy for his Naxos recording of Penderecki’s St Luke Passion (8.557149), with a further nomination in 2005 for Penderecki’s Polish Requiem (8.557386-87). Antoni Wit is a professor at the F. Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.
This recording was sponsored by PZU 8.572031
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PENDERECKI Utrenja Hossa • Rehlis • Kusiewicz • Nowacki • Bezzubenkov Warsaw Boys’ Choir Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra
Antoni Wit
Also available
8.557386-87
8.557766
8.557980
8.557149
CMYK NAXOS
NAXOS
Krzysztof
PENDERECKI (b. 1933)
DDD 8.572031 Playing Time
74:51
Utrenja 1-5
6-#
. Part I: Zloz enie Chrystusa do grobu (The Entombment of Christ) (1970) 40:13
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& 2009 Naxos Rights International Ltd.
Booklet notes in English
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This recording was sponsored by PZU Please see page 2 of the booklet for a detailed track list Recorded at Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, Poland, from 24th to 27th September, on 30th September, and from 3rd to 4th December, 2008 Produced, engineered and edited by Andrzej Sasin and Aleksandra Nagórko (CD Accord) Publisher: Schott Music International • Booklet notes: Richard Whitehouse Cover image: Star by Sybille Yates (dreamstime.com)
Disc made in Canada. Printed and assembled in USA.
Iwona Hossa, Soprano • Agnieszka Rehlis, Mezzo-soprano Piotr Kusiewicz, Tenor • Piotr Nowacki, Bass Gennady Bezzubenkov, Basso profondo • Warsaw Boys’ Choir* Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra • Antoni Wit
www.naxos.com
Part II: Zmartwychwstanie Pan´skie (The Resurrection of Christ) (1971)* 34:38
PENDERECKI: Utrenja
PENDERECKI: Utrenja
Penderecki’s Utrenja was inspired by the Orthodox liturgy for Holy Saturday with its focus on the lamentation of Christ’s death and the Easter Sunday morning service commemorating the Resurrection. The composer remarks that ‘Utrenja is a combination of pure, a cappella vocal writing and orchestral effects (for strings and percussion) very much connected with electronic music’. Enthusiastically received by audiences, it stands beside his Polish Requiem (8.557386-87) and St Luke Passion (8.557149) as one of the towering masterpieces of modern Polish music.
