Moniuszko, S.: Litanies of Ostra Brama Nos. 1-4 (Stanislaw Moniuszko - Tomasz Zan)

Stanislaw Moniuszko - Tomasz Zan

Paru le 05.09.06 chez CD Accord
Artiste principal : Henryk Wojnarowski
Genre : Classique

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Langue disponible : anglais

Polish composer Stanislaw Moniuszko's Litanie Ostrobramskie (Litanies of Ostra Brama) consist of four Marian canticles written in honor of the shrine to the Virgin Mary at Ostra Brama cathedral in Vilnius, a place venerated by Lithuanians and Poles alike as sacred. Reckoned as the finest of Moniuszko's more than 90 sacred works, these litanies are seldom heard outside of Poland and are mostly performed in the concert hall, rather than in the church. This CD Accord recording, featuring the Warsaw Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra under Henryk Wojnarowski, is only the second complete compact disc of this cycle to appear outside of Poland. The first litany sounds like something straight out of Haydn, and seems anachronistic in light of the fact it dates from 1843. This becomes less surprising when one learns that this was during the composer's tenure as a choral conductor in Vilnius, where he led a choir that gave expert performances of, among other things, Haydn's The Creation. The Second Litany, dating from 1849, sounds more Slavic in character and is harmonically more engaging in comparison. The last two, dating from 1854 and 1855, respectively, are profound, impressive, and original; Rossini admired the Third Litany, which he heard in Paris in 1863. There are some stylistic parallels between these sacred pieces and those of Liszt and Rossini, but Moniuszko's work is more unlike these composers than like them. There is not a single whiff of the influence of opera house to be found here, as in Rossini. While Liszt's sacred music, understandably, betrays the on-going struggle between his cosmopolitan nature and that of the mystic, Moniuszko's settings are direct, clear-eyed, and devotional. The Fourth Litany is the most popular in Poland, and this is due to its immediacy and simplicity; its opening Kyrie is almost like a drink of cool water. Among the performing forces heard here, the vocal soloists are the weakest link; they do not blend well as a group and sound a bit older than they appear in their photographs. Nevertheless, it is not terribly weak and the singing is generally fine, it is just that the chorus is so much better. CD Accord's recording is somewhat distant and slightly underpowered, but is otherwise fine; it is well balanced and warm to the ears. CD Accord's Litanie Ostrobramskie is a better than merely adequate recording of a work that is not as exotic as it sounds and deserves recognition among the major sacred choral cycles in nineteenth century literature.
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Moniuszko, S.: Litanies of Ostra Brama Nos. 1-4 (Stanislaw Moniuszko - Tomasz Zan)

Henryk Wojnarowski

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