Bartlomiej Pekiel was one of the most eminent Polish composers of choral music of the 17th century. He served at the court in Warsaw from around 1633 and was assistant to Marco Scacchi at the Chapel Royal in Warsaw before becoming Kapellmeister himself from 1645-1655 - the first non-Italian to hold the post. He then moved to Wawel Cathedral in Krakow where he wrote for the Rorantist vocal ensemble.
Just 29 of his compositions survive today and on this new album by The Sixteen under the direction of Associate Conductor, Eamonn Dougan, we present 11 of his works for choir and orchestra including the Missa Concertata La Lombardesca resplendent with double choir, violins and trombones, and the extraordinary and dramatic Audite mortales.
In this recording dedicated solely to his works, Pekiel shows himself to be a skilled craftsman, mastering the techniques taught by the Italian maestri, but also imbuing his works with his own particular harmonic colour in all the varied styles he writes in.
R E V I E W S:
"Pekiel… emerges again – thanks to The Sixteen’s outstanding new disc – as a figure of polyphonic virtuosity." – The Sunday Telegraph, Seven Magazine
"The sound world, very loosely, brings to mind Monteverdi. The exciting dissonances and strange harmonic colours set Pekiel in a category of his own." – The Observer
"Punchy, potent, glorious. This is a disc of stunning baroque music from a beautifully-refined vocal collective." – McAlister Matheson Music
