Time 19:00
YouTube channel of the Polish Royal Opera
Retransmission on the YouTube channel of the Polish Royal Opera. The recording will be available until 19:00 on the 26th of December 2020.
Other nations, too, have their own carols. […] But nowhere else have these songs of Christmas become something so “national”, so uniquely loved and cherished by the whole nation, as in Poland – wrote Stanisław Dobrzycki in his book O kolędach (“About Christmas carols”) published in 1923.
Indeed, Christmas carols occupy a special place in the Polish culture. Eagerly sung, especially at the Christmas table, they are an expression of attachment to tradition. Although they all deal with the theme of the Nativity of the Lord, they also often contain references to Polish history and culture. Their universal message permeates with what is local and native. In times that were hard for the nation, singing together gave hope and courage.
The concert will open with a patriotic Christmas carol, Dzisiaj w Betlejem. It was to this melody that one of the songs of the nationwide protests of December ’70 was sung. Afterwards, we will hear the carol Wśród nocnej ciszy, which was first published in print in 1853 in Jan Mioduszewski’s songbook as the opening song of the Christmas liturgy. To this day, in many churches, it resounds together with the bells inaugurating the Midnight Mass. The song, enriched with new stanzas, comforted both the Poles fighting in World War II and those exiled to Siberia. The Christmas carol W żłobie leży became the basis for a song by Karol Baliński sung during the January Uprising in 1963. There are records of the text of the carol Lulajże Jezuniu from the time of the occupation of Poland by Nazi Germany, as well as Kolęda łagrowa (“the Gulag Carol”) sung to the melody of Jezus Malusieńki.
However, during the concert, the Christmas carols will be performed in their traditional versions. We will hear not only atmospheric lullabies, such as Gdy śliczna panna or Jezus malusieńki , but also songs originating in national dances, for instance, the solemn Bóg się rodzi in the form of a polonaise. Centuries ago, the tradition of carolling was linked to the custom of offering New Year’s wishes. Let these beautiful pieces performed by the Artists of the Polish Royal Opera bring Christmas joy to your homes and fill your hearts with hope.
Marta Dziewanowska-Pachowska
PROGRAM
Dzisiaj w Betlejem, arr. Stanisław Halat
Wśród nocnej ciszy, arr. Stanisław Halat
Lulajże Jezuniu, arr. Stanisław Halat
Przybieżeli do Betlejem, arr. Stanisław Halat
Cicha noc, arr. Stanisław Halat
Gdy śliczna panna, arr. Katarzyna Paciorkiewicz-Jarmuła
W żłobie leży, arr. Marcin Jamroży
Jezus malusieńki, arr. Stanisław Halat
Bóg się rodzi, arr. Stanisław Halat
Z narodzenia Pana, arr. Katarzyna Paciorkiewicz-Jarmuła
PERFORMERS
JUSTYNA STĘPIEŃ SOPRANO
DOROTA LACHOWICZ MEZZO-SOPRANO
LESZEK ŚWIDZIŃSKI TENOR
WOJCIECH GIERLACH BASS
INSTRUMENTALISTS OF THE ORCHESTRA OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
KATARZYNA PACIORKIEWICZ-JARMUŁA VIOLIN
MARCIN JAMROŻY VIOLIN
AGNIESZKA LECH VIOLIN
MARIUSZ LECH VIOLA
DOROTA SMOLIŃSKA CELLO
KAROL SZWECH CONDUCTOR
