During the reign of the Vasa dynasty, an excellent ensemble operated in Warsaw, filled with international performers. New compositions were written on commission from the royal court, authored by such creators as: Marcin Mielczewski, Bartłomiej Pękiel, or the Italian Marco Scacchi. At that time, the Polish–Lithuanian state, as an open country, attracted scholars, poets, architects, painters, and musicians. Cities like Cracow or Warsaw stayed in touch with major European cultural hubs: Rome, and later Vienna. Łowicz, Lviv, Vilnius, Gostyń, Jasna Góra, and Kyiv were among several vibrant centres of musical art active within the territory of the First Republic.

The multi-ethnic character of the population of the First Polish Republic must be highlighted. One could even wonder whether this was the state where the idea of a cultural European union began to take shape. An example of mutual inspirations between various cultural traditions may be found in the work of one of the protagonists of the Music First concert series, Mykola Dyletsky. This Orthodox artist was born in Kyiv and studied with the Jesuits in Vilnius. With education rooted in Western Christianity, the composer transferred polyphony – already common in Poland – into Orthodox church music.

It is both our duty and our joy to showcase the musical heritage of those times, all the more so since many works – particularly instrumental – have not survived due to successive wars that ended that golden period of Polish culture. The Music First concert series we bring to our audience is, for me personally, a sentimental journey. In the mid-1980s I first came across the music of Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki, which sparked my interest in the Polish Baroque. I immediately found his fantastic works truly exceptional and that impression has remained with me to this day. The recording of successive albums is now taking place in the ORLEN Main Hall of the National Forum of Music, where we enjoy extremely comfortable conditions, unmatched in any other venue. The place itself is, in a way, a grand instrument, positively impacting the quality of these records.

The recording and publishing albums of music by Polish composers of the 17th and 18th centuries was commenced in 2012. The star of the first one was the aforementioned Gorczycki, head of the chapel of Wawel Cathedral. We recorded his works with an international line-up and enjoyed the results so much that we decided to continue the project. To date, fifteen albums have been released, making this the largest publishing series of the NFM. We sourced compositions of the top musicians of the First Polish Republic: Bartłomiej Pękiel, Marcin Mielczewski, Marcin Józef Żebrowski, Stanisław Sylwester Szarzyński, Mikołaj Zieleński, Jacek Różycki, Marcin Leopolita, Kaspar Förster Jr., and the already mentioned Mykola Dyletsky. We have travelled extensively around Europe with this repertoire, performing in concert halls, churches, and at festivals – winning awards (e.g. three Fryderyk Awards) and numerous nominations.

Despite the initial concerns of promoters and managers of our European concerts, this body of music has been received very well everywhere. The Wrocław Baroque Ensemble continues to receive invitations to perform on international stages. The idea behind the concert series planned for September in Wrocław is not only to summarise more than a dozen years of our activity, but also to promote the achievements of Polish composers among foreign guests. The NFM will host a meeting of representatives of European early music festivals associated in REMA (Réseau Européen de Musique Ancienne).

The music of our local composers from centuries past proves intriguing because it is simply excellent, and at the same time remains largely unknown. Typically, new listeners are surprised; they do not expect these compositions to be so outstanding. I am glad that for many years now, I have been able to work with artists who share my performative vision and ideas. The Wrocław Baroque Ensemble is an international group: we collaborate with virtuosos from Poland, the Czech Republic, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, England, Hungary, and Slovakia, sharing a fascination with Polish works from centuries ago. All the planned events, during which we will bring to our audiences mainly compositions already recorded on albums in the Music First series, will take place in the churches of Wrocław - venues intended for this purpose. For liturgical music, the church is a natural setting indeed; even if the acoustic qualities could be better, the historical interiors compensates for sound imperfections. Atmosphere, emotions, and genius loci are far more important. Church invites us to interact with the beauty of art on many levels, including architecture and painting. The works of Mykola Dyletsky will be performed at the Orthodox Church of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. In the Old Refectory at the Dominican Monastery, we will play a concert of compositions by various artists and for different instrumental ensembles. In the Church of St Stanislaus, St Dorothy and St Venceslaus, we will present the legacy of Mikołaj Zieleński, a composer active at the turn of the Renaissance and Baroque, associated with the Łowicz court of the then Primate of Poland. And finally, in the Wrocław Cathedral, the audience will hear a piece by Marcin Józef Żebrowski – head of the Jasna Góra chapel ensemble, who lived in the 18th century, which sets his music in the Baroque-to-Classical transition period. Additionaly, the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble will present selected parts of compline, the final service of the Liturgy of the Hours, by Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki.

Please feel invited to join us and marvel at the exquisite music of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth!

Prof. Andrzej Kosendiak
Artistic Director of Wrocław Baroque Ensemble