On April 2, the premiere of Crux, Christi salva nos by Szymon Godziemba-Trytek will take a place at the Polish Radio’s Lutosławski Concert Studio in Warsaw. The piece will be performed by countertenor Jan Jakub Monowid and baritone Piotr Kwinta, with the accompaniment of an unusual ensemble comprised 6 French horns (Tomasz Bińkowski, Paul Piętka Monika Całus, Krzysztof Danielak, Joanna Wydmuch, Oleksji Prune), 3 double basses (Sebastian Wypych, Radoslaw Nur, Paweł Pańta, Anna Bator), drums (Leszek Lorent, Tamara Kurkiewicz ) and the Polish Radio Choir, under the baton of Szymon Wykrzykowski . The project was commissioned by the Institute of Music and Dance [IMiT] as a part of the “Composer-In-Residence” program.
Godziemba-Trytek gives the following insight on the work:
Searching for a text on the subject of Christ’s passion, I found the Caravaca Cross, a 16th century cross with two crossbars associated with plague victims. The silhouette of the cross is inscribed with the initials of the letters that are then expanded to a text of a prayer, interspersed with repeated incantation Crux Christi salva nos [Christ’s Cross, do save us]. The overarching inspiration for me as I wrote this work was the act of praying or—more specifically—a deeply intimate aura that accompanies it. A certain amount of recurrence and repetition of prayer formulas is only a means to reach a state of concentration, contemplation and deeper reflection. Translation of these impressions into composition is achieved by a certain slowing down of narration, a reduction in musical material and texture, and a transference of the dramatic content from a condition of “going towards” to a state of “remaining within.”
Sunday, April 2, 2017 | 5 p.m.
Szymon Godziemba-Trytek Premiere: “Composer-In-Residence” Concert
Polish Radio Lutosławski Concert Studio
Modzelewskiego 59, 00-977 Warszawa, Poland
Tickets & Info: studianagran.com.pl
[Sources: studianagran.com.pl, godziemba-trytek.pl]