Paweł Łukaszewski: Motets
Paweł Łukaszewski: Motette; Adoramus Te, Christe; Pater Noster; Psalmus 120; Beatus Vir, Sanctus Adalbertus; Nunc dimittis; Beatus vir, Sanctus Martinus; Psalmus 129; Ave Maria; Ave Maris Stella; Regina Caeli; Alleluia; Pięć żałobnych pieśni kurpiowskich [Five funeral kurpian songs]; Adventgebet
Polish Chamber Choir, Jan Łukaszewski – cond.
Warner Classics 9029583639 (June 30, 2017)
“Łukaszewski’s reputation is growing rapidly, and rightly”
(BBC Music Magazine)“True master of the art of a cappella writing”
(Gramophone about Paweł Łukaszewski)
This new Warner Classics album of motets by Polish composer Paweł Łukaszewski, which includes seven world premiere recordings, not only soothes the senses, but also provokes a deeper spiritual reflection and provides repose from the never-ending race of our daily lives. The leading Polish composer of his generation presents an album of intense, immersive beauty with these performances of his original works by the excellent Polish Chamber Choir under the baton of Jan Łukaszewski.
Although this music draws extensively on tradition, the result is fresh and authentic. Maestro Stephen Layton, director of Trinity College Choir Cambridge as well as Polyphony and The Holst Singers, to whom one of the pieces on the album is dedicated, has praised these choral works for their spiritual intensity, diversity of sound colour and sophistication, comparing Łukaszewski to Henryk Górecki and Arvo Pärt, composers known for their emblematic style and a universal message expressed in intimate but emotionally powerful music.
Emilia Dudkiewicz, musicologist and theologian at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Warsaw, also lauds the composer: “Łukaszewski’s Motets are like the light of dawn, like caramel melting in the mouth, and like the petals of a rose in bloom… or like the calm breath of a child whom we have helped dry their tears, and regain the wonderful joy of life. For some this music is a feast of sound and a source of comfort. For others – it is a spiritual journey. It inspires profound reflection and ‘helps us explore the true meaning of the world, and of ourselves.”
“When after a concert people often tell me that my music has moved them – this is the most wonderful review that I can get (…) But I try to be genuine and I don’t want to manipulate anyone’s emotions,” said Paweł Łukaszewski in Presto – Music Film Art magazine. “You can tell a good composer by the way he or she can write for the human voice.”
[Source: warnerclassics.com, prestoclassical.co.uk]