In my Requiem, I have consciously omitted the section known as Dies irae. As its title (‘Day of Wrath’) suggests, this sequence is filled with pain and suffering that accompany a bloody, apocalyptic vision of the Last Judgment.
Magnificat, Rorate coeli and Missa Pastoritia, in the unanimous view of experts on Żebrowski’s creative contribution, are among his best works.
The rather sober scoring of La decollazione for strings and continuo might be explained by the Lenten presentation, but the vocal and instrumental demands of the piece fully exploited the brilliance of the Viennese musicians, and their skill in opera.
The latest CD of the National Forum of Music and CD Accord features Phantoms – a cantata by Stanisław Moniuszko according to Part II of Adam Mickiewicz’s Forefathers’ Eve.
Our reconstruction is complemented with Mozart’s ecclesiastical sonatas, and the recording features a boys’ choir and an ensemble of historical instruments modelled on Salzburg instrumental ensembles from Mozart’s time.
This disc includes compositions by Niccolo Porpora and Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, two composers rarely known to the general public.
Stanisław Moniuszko is best known as the father of Polish opera and writer of songs with impressive circulation. However, he is also a true master of other genres e.g. church music.
The album is complemented by Variations performed by Robert Craft, American conductor, commentator, and – from 1948 on – Stravinsky's collaborator. The recordings were made on 28 May, 1965.
In a letter to Bohdan Pociej composer writes: "... I fear theatricality, pomposity and pathos; hence the reason for drawing on century-old or indeed thousand-year old traditions; hence also the decision of renouncing in the Credo any form of orchestral temptations by composing this pivotal section of the work for solo tenor and a cappella chorus (...).
"The first words of the Creed: "I believe in one God..." are sung with a power not experienced since the time of Handel's oratorios and Beethoven's Mass.