Pekiel: Vocal & Chamber Ensemble Works

Kosendiak, Andrzej; Niedzwiecka, Marta; Wroclaw Baroque Ensemble

This new release is the second album containing the works of Bartlomiej Pekiel, a composer who served the court of Vasa. This release is devoted to mass- a musical form that has been present in European music since the Middle Ages. Mass cycles presented on this album are diverse in style, which shows how much variety the 17th-century composer approached this form, even within their own body of work. The album includes examples of two ‘utility’ masses, formally very simple, based on a dialogue between two groups of singers. When listening to music from different eras, it is not uncommon to feel that there is a very fine line between beauty in simplicity and banality or kitsch. Despite the schematic and simple form of those compositions, we can easily find fragments that show the true mastery of their composer. At the opposite extreme is the elaborate mass cycle referring to the two main stylistic tendencies of 17th century music: the first is known as the prima practica and derives from the old Palestrinian polyphony, while the second is the concert style, seen as very modern at the time, represented on the album by Missa 14 and Missa Concertata ‘La Lombardesca.’ All of the works brought together on a single release present Pekiel both as a creator versed in different compositional techniques and as the head of the ensemble, whose responsibilities included also writing strictly utilitarian pieces. The album is organized in such a way that the masses are separated by instrumental compositions- Fugue and canons which, included in the score appended to the treatise, were probably not meant for performance. Out of mere curiosity they were placed on this recording, and they have proven to provide a respite between mass cycles.

Price: $22.99