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Górecki: Church Songs, Op. 84 / Łukaszewski, Polish Chamber Choir
Ondine

Górecki: Church Songs, Op. 84 / Łukaszewski, Polish Chamber Choir

$26.99

Details

Composer
Henryk Gorecki
Artist
Polish Chamber Choir
Format
CD
Label
Ondine
Released
May 05, 2023
Catalog #
ODE 1428-2D
UPC
0761195142820

About

Henryk Mikolaj Górecki (1933–2010) achieved an international success in the mid-1990s, with his Symphony No. 3, “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”. Since then, Górecki’s name has been associated almost exclusively with this piece. However, his music is much more than this one brilliant work. Górecki never looked at musical fashions, but consistently created his own sound universe. In the 1980s Górecki, feeling misunderstood, stepped back from the official concert life in Poland. He reached out to simple folk and church melodies, making their choral arrangements. He treated them with a great devotion and humility. In 1985, the composer drew on traditional church songs collected in the 19th-century Spiewnik koscielny (Church Songbook) by Jan Siedlecki. He first selected five songs from it, which made up the cycle of five Marian Songs, Op. 54, for mixed choir a cappella. A year later, Górecki decided to compile other church songs of various character and associated with different liturgical seasons. This led to a collection of twenty Church Songs for a cappella choir today known as his Op. 84. Apart from two, the songs were not published during composer’s lifetime. This album by the Polish Chamber Choir led by Jan Lukaszewski offers this choral gem for the first time sang in Latin.

REVIEW:

Mostly dating from 1986 but published in 2013, three years after the composer’s death, these 20 pieces range from between one and almost 13 minutes in duration. Recorded in Latin for the first time, they have a consoling lilt and occasionally (as in ‘Sicut parvi amplectamur’) dance along gently; ‘Beati qui eligunt Joseph’ is a rare example of a more striking harmonic treatment. Under its conductor of 40 years’ standing, Jan Łukaszewski, the Gdańsk-based Polish Chamber Choir produces beautifully smooth and glowing tone. The overall effect is sweet, like eating too much sernik (Polish cheesecake) and washing it down with communion wine.

-- BBC Music Magazine

Tracklist 20 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 No. 1. O Virgo Maria 06:37
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 1. O Virgo Maria
    Duration
    06:37
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  3. 2 No. 2. Sicut parvi amplectamur 04:39
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 2. Sicut parvi amplectamur
    Duration
    04:39
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  4. 3 No. 3. Veni, o mater terræ 10:10
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 3. Veni, o mater terræ
    Duration
    10:10
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  5. 4 No. 4. O mater semper alma 07:49
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 4. O mater semper alma
    Duration
    07:49
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  6. 5 No. 5. Nunc avemus et laudemus 02:19
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 5. Nunc avemus et laudemus
    Duration
    02:19
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  7. 6 No. 6. Ave, carmina milia 04:38
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 6. Ave, carmina milia
    Duration
    04:38
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  8. 7 No. 7. O stella cæli 00:57
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 7. O stella cæli
    Duration
    00:57
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  9. 8 No. 8. Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus 02:24
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 8. Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  10. 9 No. 9. Domine Deus 12:47
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 9. Domine Deus
    Duration
    12:47
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  11. Disc 2
  12. 1 No. 10. Popule meus 08:53
    Track
    1
    Title
    No. 10. Popule meus
    Duration
    08:53
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  13. 2 No. 11. Pie Jesu, pastor alme 04:18
    Track
    2
    Title
    No. 11. Pie Jesu, pastor alme
    Duration
    04:18
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  14. 3 No. 12. Jesu Christe, frater noster 04:58
    Track
    3
    Title
    No. 12. Jesu Christe, frater noster
    Duration
    04:58
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  15. 4 No. 13. Pater noster, omnipotens Deus 04:45
    Track
    4
    Title
    No. 13. Pater noster, omnipotens Deus
    Duration
    04:45
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  16. 5 No. 14. Ave, lauderis 01:04
    Track
    5
    Title
    No. 14. Ave, lauderis
    Duration
    01:04
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  17. 6 No. 15. Christi crux 02:45
    Track
    6
    Title
    No. 15. Christi crux
    Duration
    02:45
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  18. 7 No. 16. Jesus Christus resurrexit 03:10
    Track
    7
    Title
    No. 16. Jesus Christus resurrexit
    Duration
    03:10
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  19. 8 No. 17. Beati qui eligunt Joseph 06:00
    Track
    8
    Title
    No. 17. Beati qui eligunt Joseph
    Duration
    06:00
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  20. 9 No. 18. Salve mater matris Jesu 03:42
    Track
    9
    Title
    No. 18. Salve mater matris Jesu
    Duration
    03:42
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  21. 10 No. 19. Jam conclamamus 04:01
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 19. Jam conclamamus
    Duration
    04:01
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski
  22. 11 No. 20. Audi clamantes, audi plorantes 02:53
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 20. Audi clamantes, audi plorantes
    Duration
    02:53
    Composer
    Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
    Ensemble
    Polski Chór Kameralny
    Conductor
    Jan Łukaszewski