Jan Krutul:
O Sapientia (O Wisdom)
O Adonai
O Radix Iesse (O Root of Jesse)
O Clavis David (O Key of David)
O Oriens (O Radiant Dawn)
O Rex gentium (O King of the Nations)
O Emmanuel
O magnum misterium for mixed choir a cappella

Benjamin Britten:
Procession:
Hodie Christus natus est
Wolcum Yole!
There is no Rose
The yongë child
Balulalow
As dew in Aprile
This little Babe
Interlude
In freezing winter night
Spring carol
Adam lay i-bounden (Deo gracias!)
Recession

For centuries, Christmas, being one of the most joyful holidays in the entire church year, has been mixing theo-logical and folk themes. Its presence in the liturgy has been inspiring composers since many centuries, which has resulted in a huge repertoire of music intended for this holiday. However, this album refers not only to the sub-ject of the Saviour’s birth, but also to the time of waiting for this joyful event. It juxtaposes Advent and Christmas music while combining the work of two authors an outstanding twentieth-century British composer and a young, contemporary Polish artist.

Krutul’s antiphons constitute seven kaleidoscopically different sound worlds, leading the listener through the subsequent days of waiting for Christmas Eve. The composer entrusts the textual narrative to a female choir, accompanied by a piano. These permanent elements (in terms of voices and instruments) of the entire cycle are supported by a percussion instrument, which changes in each movement. An important feature of the work are melodies of selected Polish Advent songs woven into individual antiphons, quoted vocally or instrumentally.

The compositional ideas applied by Britten in A Ceremony of Carols prove his excellent knowledge of the speci-fics of choral singing and reveal his extraordinary ease in using this type of cast. The composer masterfully built tension by employing contrasts. This is one of the most popular and most frequently performed compositions. The main affect of the piece, pervading it through and through, is the joy associated with Christmas. However, in the twelve-movement cycle there is also room for deliberation, reflection, and contemplation of themes re-lated to the Mystery of the Incarnation.

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Data premiery: 19.12.2023