Time 19:00
The Palace on the Isle in the Royal Łazienki Museum in Warsaw
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The reign of the Vasa dynasty in the Republic of Poland was a period of flourishing of culture, including music. Under the watchful eye of the Italian masters brought to the country at the request of the king, court singers and instrumentalists graced both religious and secular ceremonies. During the concert, we will hear the works of artists from Italy who were appointed royal bandmasters. While Annibale Stabile did not manage to settle in Wawel – he died prematurely, on his way to or just after arriving in Krakow – his works have been preserved in the Republic of Poland, including an excellent example of baroque polyphony: Missa Vestiva i colli, in which the composer used a theme from a madrigal by Giovanni Perluigi da Palestrina. The style of one of the greatest Renaissance masters can also be clearly heard in the works of his student Asprillio Pacelli, who in the first years of the 18th century took the position of maestro di capella of the Polish ruler. During the concert, we will hear his motets Beata es Virgo Maria and Veni sponsa Christi from the collection Sacrae cantiones, dedicated to King Sigismund III Vasa. Both impress with the artistry of imitative passages while maintaining the clarity of the conveyed content.
Luca Marenzio also played an important role at the Polish court, even though he stayed in the Commonwealth for only several months. He arrived at the Wawel court together with other musicians from Italy around Christmas 1595. Although the catalog of his works includes many great religious works, it was his secular madrigals that brought him real fame. In the castle chambers, they were probably performed not only by the musicians employed at court, but also by amateurs, and perhaps even by the king himself. The concert will feature five out of approximately five hundred of Marenzio’s surviving compositions in this genre. Using sophisticated musical means, the composer perfectly conveys the mood and meaning of the texts of such outstanding poets as Petrarch and Sannazaro.
PROGRAM
Asprilio Pacelli – Beata es Virgo Maria from the collection Sacrae cantiones
Asprilio Pacelli – Veni sponsa Christi from the collection Sacrae cantiones
Annibale Stabile – Missa Vestiva i colli
Luca Marenzio – Vienne, Montan
Luca Marenzio – Amatemi ben mio
Luca Marenzio – Zefiro torna
Luca Marenzio – Al primo vostro
Luca Marenzio – Madonna, sua mercé, pur una sera
PERFORMERS
THE CHAMBER CHOIR OF THE POLISH ROYAL OPERA
RENATA SZCZYPIOR CONDUCTOR, CHORUS MASTER
Duration: approx. 1 h
The seats in the auditorium are not numbered.