It is time for the St. Matthew Passion again. Also here at the Concertzender!
The Holy Week is almost there; Passion Music is performed everywhere, especially the St. Matthew Passion from Bach. But there are other Passions.
Today in Sanssouci, we will listen to the St. Matthew Passion, but with a twist. You will hear the Passio Domini nostri Jesu Christi (opus 65) from Józef Elsner (1769-1854). When this Polish composer wrote a passion in 1837, he already had had an entire career and had written several excellent works, both vocal and instrumental.
As would be expected from a composer at an advanced age, he wasn’t very fashionable. While his younger compatriot Chopin was conquering the world with ultra-modern music, Elsner reverted to the style of the large-scale oratorios from Haydn. The lyrics during the psalmody, the parts in which the evangelist Matthew speaks, are recited at one tone, just like monks were doing in medieval times! This resulted from the strict conditions for Passion Music that the Catholic Church had set.
But an old-fashioned master piece is still a master piece. Through this time machine, Elsner has struck the essence of the passion story in a grand way. You will hear the shortened version, recorded by the choir and symphony orchestra of the Warsaw Philharmonic in 1990. This was an event that took place around the time of the Fall of the Berlin Wall, therefor this recording in devout Catholic Poland carries special significance.
Performing
Bożena Harasimowicz (soprano)
Krzysztof Szmyt (tenor: Jesus)
Czesław Gałkwa (baritone: evangelist)
Piotr Nowacki (bass)
Choir and symphony orchestra of the Warsaw Philharmonic and the children’s choir of the E. Młynarski music school conducted by Kazimierz Kord
Not in this selection: Bogdan Śliwa (baritone)
