Time 20:00
St. Anne's Church, Krakowskie Przedmieście 68, Warsaw
BUY TICKET
“Some years ago, I composed three Leçons de ténèbres for Good Friday, at the request of the congregation of the sisters of L[ongchamp], where they were sung with success. This motivated me in recent months to compose more for Holy Wednesday and Thursday. Now, however, I am publishing only three for the first of these days […]”.
This is an excerpt from François Couperin’s foreword to the first edition of his Leçons de ténèbres, written between 1713 and 1716. They are gems of Baroque music, true works of art in which the composer perfectly harmonizes expressive harmony and intricate melody with the expressive text of the Lamentations of Jeremiah.
The richness of the text’s symbolism and the moving beauty of the Catholic liturgy of Holy Week are both reflected in Couperin’s brilliant music. The ornamentation used in Leçons de ténèbres, typical of French music, gives the work a distinct color, while the harmonic freedom rooted in the Italian tradition serves to express the profound themes of the Old Testament. The religious tone of the composition is emphasized by vocalizations inspired by Gregorian chant.
The prophet’s despair over the fall of Jerusalem – one of the most dramatic and poignant liturgical texts -is embodied in sounds full of balance and serenity. Expression lies within each individual note, while the harmoniously composed whole transports the listener to a transcendent dimension.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
François Couperin
Leçons de Ténèbres
Incipit Lamentatio Jeremiae Prophetae
Vau. Et egressus est a Filia Sion
Jod. Manum suam misit hostis
PERFORMERS
IWONA LUBOWICZ SOPRANO
BARBARA ROGALA SOPRANO
SŁAWOMIR JURCZAK NARRATOR
THE PERIOD INSTRUMENTS ENSEMBLE OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA CAPELLA REGIA POLONA
LILIANNA STAWARZ HARPSICHORD / POSITIVE ORGAN, CONDUCTOR
