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In the Thread: Polish Chamber Choir - Schola Cantorum Gedanensis

Post Subject: Polish Chamber Choir - Schola Cantorum GedanensisPosted by N-set on: 1/27/2013

Since (very unexpectedly!) my new hometown--Gdansk in the north of Poland, got mentioned in the Audio Forum,
I'd like to do a bit of local patriotic promotion and share with you a seemingly interesting choir based in Gdansk:
Polish Chamber Choir - Schola Cantorum Gedanensis

http://www.polskichorkameralny.pl/en/index.php

As far as I know, they are fully funded by the Ministry of Culture and the City of Gdansk--unusual situation in
modern Poland! Bravo!
A couple of weeks ago I listened them at the concert commemorating Penderecki's 80th birthday, which will be somewhere this year.
Penderecki was tere himself (later I learned he collaborates quite a lot with the Choir--they have his complete choral works in their
repertoire). The central part of the 1.5hr concert was a Polish premier of his Missa Brevis, shorthly after the world premier in Germany
and the first perfomance with a mixed fe/male choir.
I'm not a fan of Penderecki and the Arthus Hall, where the concert was held,
is IMHO acoustically mediocre (I got ear "overload" and ringing even at moderate volumes).
But the choir was very interesting! Missa Brevis that everybody heavily masturbated about,
I did not get--it simply did not get connected into a logical whole in my mind, rather stayed atomized.
But (the prformance of) it's final part--Agnus Dei was nothing short of spectatucar! It did touch some
inner strings in me (fantastic work of the conductuctor--Jan Lukaszewski!). Also the orthodox
piece Izhe Xerubiny (Song of Cherubin) was very touchingly performed.
All in all, an interesting encounter with the Polish Chamber Choir under Jan Lukaszewski, although the composer
I would not rush for. Hope to see them regularly.

Cheers,
N-set

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