CD1

01. Overture    [0:09:04.00]
02. Act 1. Niechaj zyje para' mloda    [0:05:21.58]
03. Act 1. Poblogoslaw, ojcze panie! - Jako od wichru krzew polamany    [0:07:11.60]
04. Act 1. Skad tu przybyla mimo mej woli?    [0:03:02.45]
05. Act 1. Jako od wichru krzew polamany - O Jasko! Mój drogi!    [0:09:41.74]
06. Act 1. Gdziezes, gdziezes, panie mlody?    [0:01:46.33]
07. Act 1. O mosciwi mi panowie!    [0:03:24.07]
08. Act 1. Mazurka    [0:03:59.00]
09. Act 2. Prelude    [0:01:25.26]
10. Act 2. O! Jakzebym kleczec juzchciala    [0:02:40.54]
11. Act 2. Gdyby rannym slonkiem wzleciec mi skowronkiem    [0:05:31.73]
12. Act 2. A widzisz Jontkum na co ci byto    [0:03:08.11]
13. Act 2. Uchodzmy wiec, gdy czeka cie - I ty mu wierzysz, biedna dziewczyno?    [0:05:31.62]
14. Act 2. O niechaj zyje para mloda! - Puszczajcie mnie!    [0:01:56.21]
15. Act 2. Wszak ci mówitem, prosilem przecie    [0:03:59.57]
16. Act 2. Dziwna jakas dziewka    [0:01:32.18]

CD2

01. Akt III - Prlude    [0:02:55.65]
02. Akt III - Po niezporach przy niedzieli    [0:04:50.68]
03. Akt III - Tance Goralskie    [0:04:22.69]
04. Akt III - Patrzajta! Cóz tam?    [0:05:31.71]
05. Akt III - Opowiedz nam!    [0:04:49.19]
06. Akt IV - Nieszczesna Halka!    [0:04:10.05]
07. Akt IV - Szumią jodly na gór szczycie    [0:06:12.60]
08. Akt IV - Dobrze, zescie tu gromadą!    [0:03:10.33]
09. Akt IV - Lecz cóz to? Jakás biedna dziewzyma    [0:05:05.32]
10. Akt IV - Nie myle sie, widzialam ja    [0:02:36.19]
11. Akt IV - Oj wesolo, oj wesolo    [0:03:01.01]
12. Akt IV - Ha! Dzieciatko nam umiera, z glodu umiera    [0:05:17.58]
13. Akt IV - A serce gdzie? Hej - Jasku, gdzie?    [0:04:44.10]
14. Akt IV - Jazbym cie zabic miata, mój dra?    [0:03:15.72]

Tatiana Borodina – soprano (Halka)
Oleh Lykhach – tenor (Jontek)
Aleksandra Buczek – soprano (Zofia), polish composer
Mariusz Godlewski – baritone (Janusz)
Radosław Żukowski – bass (Stolnik)
Zbigniew Kryczka – bass baritone
Jacek Ryś - baritone
Rafał Majzner - tenor

Wroclaw Opera Choir
Wroclaw Opera Orchestra
Ewa Michnik – conductor

Although the booklet of this Polish DVD gives full orchestra and chorus listings, it tells us nothing about the composer or his opera, save a synopsis. Halka is a young girl who had been seduced by Janusz; however, as the opera begins, Janusz is in the process of engagement to Zofia, Stolnik's daughter. Although in private Janusz admits his love for Halka, he asks her to leave. Jontek, who has long been in love with Halka, warns her off Janusz but she ignores his good advice. Act 2 begins with the lovely aria for Halka, “When the sun rises”. Jontek keeps on warning her, trying to make her aware of Janusz's unfaithfulness. She cracks and arrives back at Janusz's manor house, making a scene. Janusz tries to bribe Jontek to get rid of Halka. Act 3, a village scene, gives plenty of chance for peasant dancing. At the beginning of Act 4, Jontek has his big aria in which he vents his resentment, but when Halka sees Janusz and Zofia together at the altar she realises the futility of her situation. At first she decides to set fire to the church, but on hearing singing from inside the church she pardons Janusz and throws herself into the nearby river and drowns.

Although I had heard CPO's CD version of Halka (999 032-2), it is this DVD that really brings home the opera's stature. The only advantage the CD has over the DVD is that some of the woodwind piping is more convincingly pastoral in nature; other than that, the Dux wins hands down. This is not least for the excellence of the heroine, Tatiana Borodina. Borodina looks the part – pretty but vulnerable.

The staging is very imaginative, making full use of available space. There is a dream-like presentation of events prior to the opera's action proper over the ten-minute Overture. By emphasising the empty spaces of the stage and having uniform white for the chorus, there is something of the Greek drama about it all. The use of a split stage in the latter part of Act 2, with the party up top and Halka, outside and isolated, is most effective.

There is no doubting the excellence of the Stolnik - the warm of voice Radosŀaw Zukowski - in the opening scenes, but the important part of Janusz is less happily cast in Oleh Lykhach. Everyone is upstaged by Tatiana Borodina's vulnerable Halka, though. Fresh and young of voice, Borodina's high register is a treat and her musicality beyond question. This is something that is emphasised by her solo scene in Act 2. Lykhach (Jontek) has a rather bleaty tenor, although his best moment comes with his declaration of his love for Halka.

The staging of the rustic third act is stunning in its use of chorus even if a slightly unsteady camera threatens to spoil one's enjoyment! The dances come off well in the orchestra but I remain unconvinced that the choreography reflects the earthiness of the music. Later in the act it is Halka that is show-stopping, attaining her finest moments so far with floated high notes that many a soprano would die for. In contrast, Jontek seems to be even weaker.

Luckily, Lykhach pulls out all the stops for Jontek's big arias in Act 4 (“The fir trees sigh on mountain peaks”), bringing to it a real sense of longing. Again, a split stage works well later in the act, emphasising the separation of Halka from all around her. Her 'mad scene' is most convincing; her call to Almighty God to extend mercy to his people is probably her finest moment. She is lowered beneath the stage to represent her drowning, and there is a freeze on the crowd's action at the end.

Superb and revelatory, then. Obscure opera rarely get a chance to shine as this one has. It would be perfect to see this opera at the Coliseum one day. ---Colin Clarke, musicweb-international.com

Halka jest obecna na scenach polskich oper bardzo często. Widzieliśmy bardzo wiele pięknych przedstawień. Ale mam wrażenie, że ta ilość inscenizacji i ta wierność tradycji powoduje powolutku coś takiego, że cieszymy się muzyką, ale teatralne losy i sprawy bohaterów stosunkowo mało nas obchodzą.

Znamy tę całą historię, wiemy jak i co się potoczy, wiemy kto o kogo jest zazdrosny, kto kogo zdradził, kto popełnia samobójstwo. Słowem, wpadamy w pewną rutynę. Otóż zależy mi, ażeby przy tej inscenizacji, którą zrealizowaliśmy razem z panią dyrektor Ewą Michnik, panią Barbarą Kędzierską, scenografem i z panią Iriną Mazur, choreografem - spróbować spojrzeć na tę historię w taki sposób, żeby na nowo przeżyć losy bohaterów.

Żebyśmy nie tylko je rozumieli, ale żeby one nas również wzruszały. Żebyśmy się z tymi postaciami w sposób godny współczesnego teatru operowego identyfikowali. Tym bardziej, że wydawało się jeszcze przed paru laty, że sprawy podziału społeczeństwa są passé - przecież chodziło o przełom XVIII i XIX wieku. A tymczasem minęło już trochę lat naszego współczesnego kapitalizmu i okazuje się, że rozwarstwienie społeczeństwa wraca, że dzisiaj bardzo dobrze rozumiemy tę przepaść, która zaczyna dzielić establishment od prostego człowieka. A zatem, ponieważ problem tej przepaści społecznej ludzie dzisiaj dobrze rozumieją, trzeba i warto spojrzeć na tę historię od nowa i spróbować ją przeżyć "jakby dzisiaj". W związku z tym moja inscenizacja idzie w tym kierunku, żeby wszystkie relacje ułożyć w sposób najbardziej współczesny.

Również w scenografii przenosimy akcję do takiej współczesności, która jest pojemna. To nie jest nasze "dzisiaj" - nie bawimy się w jakieś rekwizyty typu: komórka, komputery. Nie na tym polega ta współczesność. To jest współczesność, która mogła się zdarzyć dzisiaj, ale mogła się dziać również jakiś czas temu. Chodzi tylko o to, że nie są to staropolskie stroje ani ludowe stroje góralskie. Jest to wszystko przesunięte do ogólnego, uniwersalnego świata, który - tak myślę - dzisiaj lepiej odczytamy.

No i mam nadzieję, że losy Halki, Janusza, Stolnika, Zofii w tym przedstawieniu będą nas obchodzić i wzruszać. Będziemy ich znowu jakby głębiej rozumieć. ---Laco Adamik, opera.wroclaw.pl

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1. Part I
2. Part II

Halka - Andrea Trauboth
Jontek - Wieslaw Ochman
Sofia - Petra Wolf
Janusz - Jörn W.Wilsing
Stolnik - Dieter Schweikart
Dziemba - Piotr Liszkowski
Wiesniak - Mircea Nedelescu
Dudarz - Thomas Schürmann

Mieczyslaw Dondajewski – conductor

Sendesaal des SFB, Berlin  26-Jan-1991
Radio broadcast.

Deutsch gesungen / Sung in german

Stanisław Moniuszko, the composer, conductor and teacher, was born in Ubiel near Minsk on 5 May 1819 and died on 4 June 1872 in Warsaw.Following a short spell of home education with his mother, Elzbieta, Moniuszko started to learn piano with August Freyer in Warsaw in 1827, to continue with Dominik Stefanowicz in Minsk from 1830. While staying in Vilnius in 1839, Moniuszko met his wife-to-be, Aleksandra Mueller. In 1837 Moniuszko left for Berlin, where he took private instruction in harmony, counterpoint, instrumentation and conducting with Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen, the director of the Singakademie Music Society. Meanwhile Moniuszko practised, conducted choirs, accompanied singers, studied the great operatic, oratorio and symphonic repertoires and investigated the pre-staging process as well as conducting technique, and took part in rehearsals carried out by Rungehagen and by Gaspar Spontini, who visited Berlin at the time.

Having spent three years in Berlin, Moniuszko returned to Poland in 1840 to marry Aleksandra Mueller and settle down in Vilnius, where he took the organist's position at St John's. Moniuszko contributed greatly to the local revival of music. Though short-lived, the choir which he had put together at St John's, supported by an ad hoc assembled orchestra, performed Mozart's "Requiem" as well as Haydn's Creation of the World, parts of Haydn's oratories and Mendelssohns's St Paul. There were also orchestral performances of works by Spontini, Mendelssohn and Beethoven. In the meantime Moniuszko travelled to St Petersburg to introduce its audiences to his own compositions. They were received with acclaim and had favourable reviews. The trips helped Moniuszko to make friends with Russia's leading composers and musicians, including Mikhail Glinka, Alexandr Dargomyzhskiy, Cesar Cui, and Alexandr Sierov.

In 1848 Vilnius saw the premiere staging of the first, two-act version of Moniuszko's opera "Halka", conducted by the composer himself. Six years later, with the help of Achilles Bonoldi, Moniuszko established St Cecilia's Society, its amateur members giving two public concerts twice a year. Following the triumphant Warsaw premiere of the new, four-act version of "Halka" on 1st January 1858, Moniuszko embarked on a artistic trip to Germany and France to return and be appointed the first conducted of the Polish Opera at the Teatr Wielki (Grand Theatre) in Warsaw on 1st August 1858. The same year Moniuszko put on his one-act opera "Flis", followed by the stagings of all of his subsequent operas over his fifteen-year term. Moniuszko's conducting projects focused almost exclusively on his own compositions, the key few exceptions being "HaydÉe" and "Le Cheval de Bronze", the operas by Daniel François Esprit Auber. From time to time he would also conduct Warsaw church choirs, such as when he staged Felix Mendelssohns's oratorio "Elijah" in a protestant temple, and would appear as a conductor at the annual composer concerts.

In 1862 Moniuszko went to Paris again, hoping to have one of his operas staged there, but it never happened. The difficult political situation at the time and after the 1863 January Rising was not conducive to practising art, and Moniuszko's composing pace slowed down. However, the 1865 staging of his opera "Straszny dwor" was received enthusiastically, its success comaparable to that of "Halka"'s. The year before the composer launched a series of lectures in harmony, counterpoint and composition, and led a choir group at the Institute of Music of the Fryderyk Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw. Among Moniuszko's students were Zygmunt Noskowski and Henryk Jarecki.

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CD1

1. Ouverture
2. Act I: No.1 Polonaise
3. Act I: No.2 Trio
4. Act I: No.3 Recitatif And Romance
5. Act I: No.4 Air And Duett
6. Act I: No.5 Chor And Air Of Stolnik
7. Act I: No.6 Mazurka
8. Act II: Prelude
9. Act II: No.7 Recitatif And Air Of Halka
10. Act II: No.8 Halka/Jontek
11. Act II: No.10 Finale, Duo, Finale

CD: 2
1. Act III: Prelude
2. Act III: No.11 Chor
3. Act III: No.12
4. Act III: No.13 Chor
5. Act III: No.14 Finale
6. Act IV: Prelude
7. Act IV: No.16 Sextet With Chor
8. Act IV: No.17 Duet Kalka/Jontek
9. Act IV: No.18 Prayer In The Chruch
10. Act IV: No.19 Recitatif, Cavatina And Cantilena Halka
11. Act IV: No.20 Finale

Halka - Barbara Zagórzanka (soprano)
Jontek - Wiesław Ochman (tenor)
Stolnik - Jerzy Ostapiuk (bass)
Zofia - Ryszarda Racewicz (mezzosoprano)
Janusz - Andrzej Hiolski (baritone)

Polish National Opera Orchestra & Chorus
Robert Satanowski – conductor

I think this a great showcase for the so often neglected slavonic opera, strangely so, since Dvorak, Tchaikovsky, Bartok, Chopin, Smetana and so many other of the most celebrated composers of non-vocal classical music comes from these parts of Europe. Probably, this comes from the fact that slavonic languages are in no way related with the languages of 'the west world'. This neglecting view is shown, as commented by a reviewer below, also by the record company when not giving us the polish text alongside the other, more common, languages. This does not, however, disturb me too much since it's rather easy, even without any knowledge of the polish language, to follow the text in a language you know, helped by the index numbers of each track (there are several).

And, and this is a strong point indeed, Stanislaw Moniuszko has in this opera also managed what few other opera composers of the romantic era (it's in the transition of romantic / Verdi era) actually did - to make a psychologically believable unity of text and singing - the music perfectly sounds as the text implies (even Verdi would be proud of the psycological structure of the caracters). Just listen to either of Jontek's great arias in act 2 and 4 respectivly - love, pain and bitterness. This also goes for Janusz, who is not onesidedly cold & mean, but also shows guilt at times. As a luxury we in 'Halka' also have a few instrumental pieces that are highly memorable, maybe most widely known the 'mazurka'. This almost totally makes you forget that the music sometimes, falls down to conventional standards - the reasons to love this opera are simply too many to dismiss it by such a simple fact - to be honest, have you ever heard an opera performance that doesn't at times sound conventional?!

The performance heard here is very good - showing every aspect of the score (love, despair, bitterness, oppression, pain, etc). None of the main roles really sounding as young (vibrato sometimes is wide in higher registers) as they are in the plot - but that's a minor problem since they all know how to present this opera (they've done it before!), and boy, do they deliver here - this is a great showcase for good live recordings without too many disturbing noices.

I'm sure - if 'Halka' had been written by an italian or in italian - it would be appreciated as one of the strongest operas of the 19th century. Don't hesitate - this is really, really good. --- Mr JB, amazon.com

I wasn't very taken with Satanowski's recording of Moniuszko overtures for cpo, but this recording of Moniuszko's (probably) most famous opera is much more satisfactory. Yes, it is correct that the Polish libretto isn't there, but translations are, so I frankly don't care one wit about and seriously doubt that many non-Polish listeners would in general. It is still very much possible to hear how well Moniuszko wrote for voices and to follow his depiction of the emotions and build-up of drama in this rather effective, charmingly attractive and tuneful work.

It is also correct that Moniuszko reverts to some very conventional note-spinning - in that sense he isn't quite the equal of a stylistically comparable composer such as Smetana, but there is so much to enjoy in here that even the less effective passages pass by quickly; the instrumental set-pieces are strong, and several of the arias are genuinely memorable. It is also given an energetic, spirited - ebullient, even - performance (maybe a little too light for a tragedy like this). None of the singers are really outstanding, but their voices are in general warm and with impressive enough technique (and sheer stamina) to provide almost unalloyed pleasure throughout. Well, as other reviewers point out, they are really too old for the roles, and it is admittedly audible - solid technique will have to make up for youthful spirit, and it generally does, even though there are also some instances of wobble in higher registers for several of the singers.

The orchestral playing is vibrant and colorful, and Satanowski keeps a spirited, flowing pace to the whole thing. The sound quality is also rather good - especially given that this is a live performance, even if it is a little cavernous and off-balance at times. In sum, then, I think this set warrants a firm recommendation; a very attractive work in very compelling performances. ---G.D., amazon.com

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Act I
1 Wstęp / Introduction - orkiestra 
2 Wśród cieniów nocy  - Ratef, Idamor 
3 Chwytać go! - chór, Idamor 
4 Paria! To jeszcze jeden z tej kasty wzgardzony - Idamor 
5 Uwertura / Ouveture - orkiestra 
6 Z pod gwiaździstej noc opończy" - chór, Kapłanka, Neala 
7 Czystego ducha wznosić korne modły! - chór 
8 Mój drogi! O droga! - Neala, Idamor 
9 O! Suria wspaniały! - chór 
10 Braminowie, wezwałem was w ważnej sprawie - Akebar, Neala, chór 
11 Wstrzymajcie wyrok wasz - Akebar 
12 Przedwieczny, przedwieczny! - Akebar, Neala, 2 braminów, chór 
13 Idamor! - Neala, Idamor, Akebar, chór

Act II
1. Synu, On moim ojcem – Idamor
2. Wiec dzis jeszcze zona twa zostane – Idamor, Neala
3. Czemus ty nie z nami – Neala; Chor Braminem
4. Recitativo i Romans – On Paria ! – Neala
5. Przybyl tu jakis atarzec podrozny – Neala, Ratek
6. Znam grod wspanialy – Dzares, Neala, Ratek
7. Ach prozno tak chodze – Neala, Dzares, Ratef
8. To on, Tak to on! – Dzares, Idamor
9. Act III, Scena 1
10. Bogowie miłości – Akebar
11. Balet – orkiestra
12. Co widze to mój ojciec – Idamor, Dzares, Akebar
13. Mój ojcze – Idamor, Akebar, Dzares
14. Los daje jej w zamiane za milosc czare lez – Ratek, Akebar
15. Dziecie ukochane – Akebar
16. To nie był sen – Neala, akebar
17. Finale – Akebar, Dzares, Neala

Neala - Katarzyna Hołysz - mezzosopran, 
Idamor - Tomasz Kuk - tenor, 
Ratef - Andrzej Lampert - tenor, 
Akebar - Janusz Lewandowski - bas-baryton, 
Dzares - Leszek Skrla – baryton

Choir and Orchestra of The Castle Opera (Opera na Zamku)
Warcislaw Kunc – director

Paria opera w 3 aktach, (1869). Libretto wg tragedii C. Delavigne'a napisał Jan Chęciński. Akcja rozgrywa się w Indiach ok. 1500 r. Kapłanka Neala waha się pomiędzy świętym powołaniem a miłością do Idamora. Tuż przed zaślubinami z Idamorem zjawia się na pół obłąkany starzec, Dżares, który wzywa zebranych kapłanów, by go zabili, gdyż jest pariasem. Idamor broni Dżaresa i wyznaje, że jest jego synem. Arcykapłan Akebar, naczelnik kasty braminów, przebija Idamora sztyletem. Przybyła na miejsce Neala (która dowiedziała się już wcześniej o pochodzeniu Idamora) odchodzi z Dżaresem, by dzielić jego los. Pomimo egzotycznej tematyki język muzyczny utworu pozbawiony jest wschodniej stylizacji, w niektórych miejscach przebijają wpływy Ryszarda Wagnera.

Paria (or Pariah in English) was the last of Moniuszko’s operas. It had a seemingly successful première in 1869 but closed after six performances. The notes suggest that its lack of a patriotic schema had something to do with this. Its first international staging came as late as 1991 in Havana. I’m not sure the booklet makes the best case for the work, really, since there is very little remotely relevant material relating to its genesis and writing, nor is there any analysis of it. One doesn’t want to be spoon-fed, but given the opera’s almost total obscurity - it’s not Halka - some critical apparatus should really be provided.

The plot relates to Brahmin priests and priestesses. It is set in Benares in the year 1500 and the story derives from a work by Casimira Delavigne. There are opportunities for some florid choral scenes, ballet music, and four big solo singing platforms in an opera divided schematically into a prologue and three acts, and, broadly, somewhat on Verdian lines.

The most impressive music, ironically, is to be located in the orchestral introduction, the ballet sections and in a few of the vocal scenes. If this suggests that the opera is something of a failure, I have to say that it is. The bold national-ceremonial Act I introduction whets the appetite, but too much of the action is static, and the text requires a fair degree of exegesis which would have been better spent constructing attractive ensembles and memorable vocal lines, of which there are, unfortunately, precious few.

Andrej Lampert makes an impression as Ratef, especially in his Act I Prologue scene, and Tomasz Kuk, as Idamor, a warrior chieftain, has good heft. Some of the choruses are attractive - not least that in the second scene of the so-called Picture No.1 - which follows the First Act, in which the strong percussion adds spice to the not unappealing jog-trotting vocal line. The duets Moniuszko espouses - try that in the Picture No.1 - have a decidedly hand-me-down Italiana quality, a sub-Verdian striving that seems more gestural than genuine. The chorus in the second Picture is decidedly by-the-motions. And when the composer does trust his instincts and utilises Polish folkloric material, which he does in the third scene of Act 2, it regrettably doesn’t advance the musical argument and blunts the theatrical thrust. There are hints of a Smetana influence hereabouts.

The performances are by and large decent, though not outstanding. Conductor Warcislaw Kunc directs briskly but not brusquely, and the recording is perfectly serviceable, but having recently reviewed Moniuszko’s songs and having listened again to his better known operatic works, Paria really is for specialised collectors of the composer’s oeuvre. ---Jonathan Woolf

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1. Act I
2. Act II
3. Act III
4. Act IV

Miecznik  - Andrzej Hiolski
Hanna - Bozena Betley-Sieradzka
Jadwiga - Wiera Baniewicz
Damazy - Zdzislaw Nikodem
Stefan - Wieslaw Ochman
Zbigniew - Leonard Mróz
Czesnikowa - Aleksandra Imalska
Maciej- Florian Skulski
Skoluba - Andrzej Saciuk
Marta – Anna  Witkowska

Coro e Orchestra della Radio-Televisione Polacca di Cracovia
Jan Krenz – conductor

Cracovia, 1978

The Haunted Manor (Polish: Straszny dwór) is an opera in four acts composed by Polish composer Stanisław Moniuszko in 1861–1864. The libretto was written by Jan Chęciński. Despite being a romance and a comedy, it has strong Polish patriotic undertones, which made it both popular with the Polish public and unpopular – to the point of being banned – by the Russian authorities which controlled most of Poland during that era.

It is considered Moniuszko’s best opera, and also the greatest among all 19th century Polish opera scores. However, it is mostly unknown outside Poland.

In the middle of the 19th century, Poland was partitioned by Russia, Germany and Austria and Polish culture struggled against Russification and Germanization policies. Many contemporary Polish writers, artists and musicians readily reflected that struggle, and this opera did so both in the story and in the music.

The story represents both an idyllic view of life in a Polish country manor house, and at the same time an idealistic preoccupation with the patriotic duties of the soldier, the military virtues of courage, bravery, and readiness to take up arms against any enemy of the nation, and the importance of family honor. It presents in its opening scenes the obvious conflict between those patriotic aspirations on the one hand, and every man's desire for a quiet home life, love and marriage, on the other. The fact of the opera's nationalistic content is proven by the adverse reaction of the Russian censor to its appearance, and reflected in its lasting place in the hearts of many Polish people.

Straszny dwór was first performed in the Teatr Wielki, Warsaw, on 28 September 1865, and received only two more performances before being banned by the censor of the tsar of Russian Empire which controlled Poland at the time. The Polish patriotic undertones of this piece were deemed dangerous, particularly as the January Uprising had ended only two and a half years earlier. Moniuszko lived until 1872 but the opera, considered his best and most original, was never performed again in his lifetime.

An English language version of The Haunted Manor was created in 1970 by translator Dr. George Conrad working with opera singer and singing teacher Mollie Petrie. The world premiere of this English version was given by the University of Bristol Operatic Society in 1970, which caused some excitement in the Polish expatriate community in England because of the opera's theme of Polish nationalism, at a time when Poland (then part of the Warsaw Pact) was again under Russian domination, as it had been when the opera first appeared. Thus, unusually, many Polish people travelled to Bristol to attend — and warmly applaud — what was in fact a fine amateur production by university students. That English version has been performed a number of times in England since 1970, including in an acclaimed production by Opera South (formerly Opera Omnibus) in February 2001.

In April 2009, a new English translation, written by Pocket Opera founder Donald Pippin and funded by the National Endowment of the Arts, was presented by Pocket Opera in San Francisco. ---wikipedia

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1.Chor (Choir),
2.Tercet,  
3.Chor kobiet (Women's choir),  
4.Dumka Jadwigi (Jadwiga's song),  
5.Kwartet i chor kobiet (Quartet and women's choir),  
6.Recitativo i aria Miecznika (Recitativo and The Swordbearer's aria),  
7.Scena i aria Skołuby (Scene and Skołuba's aria), 
8.Recitativo i aria z kurantem (Recitativo and aria with chimes), 
9.Mazur (Mazurka)

Halina Slonicka - soprano,  Krystyna Szczepanska - mezzosoprano,  
Bozena Brun-Baranska - mezzosoprano,  Barbara Lacewicz - mezzosoprano,  
Zdzisław Nikodem - tenor,  Bogdan Paprocki - tenor,  
Andrzej Hiolski - baryton,  Edmund Kossowski - bass, Bernard Ładysz - bass  

Choir and Orchestra of the Warsaw State Opera House
Witold Rowicki – conductor

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01. Uwertura
02. Introduction
03. Recitativo and arioso
04. Recitativo and song
05. Recitativo and aria
06. Recitativo and duetto
07. Recitativo and terzetto
08. Recitativo and dumka
09. Recitativo and aria
10. Recitativo and duet
11. Finale

Serwacy Ładoga – Andrzej Kizewetter (bas)
Zuzia, jego córka – Krystyna Pakulska (sopran)
Marcin Pakuła – Marian Kondella (baryton)
Stanisław, jego syn – Jan Czekay (baryton)
Bartłomiej, stary sługa Marcina – Edward Kmiciewicz (bas)

Chór i Orkiestra Państwowej Opery w Poznaniu
Chorus and Orchestra of the Poznan State opera)

Robert Satanowski – conductor

Verbum nobile, opera jednoaktowa, libretto Jana Chęcińskiego. Młody szlachcic Stanisław ulega wypadkowi podczas podróży. Opiekę nad chorym roztacza szlachcianka Zuzia z pobliskiego majątku. Młodzi zakochują się w sobie. Ojciec Zuzi - pan Serwacy Łagoda oświadcza, że z tej miłości nic nie będzie, bo gdy Zuzia była jeszcze dzieckiem dał "nobile verbum" (szlacheckie słowo honoru) swemu przyjacielowi - Marcinowi Pakule, ze córka zostanie żoną jego syna. Podczas gdy młodzi rozpaczają - zirytowany Serwacy daje kolejne "nobile verbum", że Zuzia nigdy nie wyjdzie za Stanisława. Po wielu perypetiach okazuje się szczęśliwie, że to właśnie Stanisław jest synem Marcina Pakuły i młodzi się pobierają. Prapremiera utworu odbyła się w dniu 1 stycznia 1861. Opera jest uważana przez krytyków za dojrzały przykład polskiej opery komicznej.

Stanislaw Moniuszko was born on May 5,1819 to the patriotic family of Polish landowners settled in Ubiel, near Minsk (now: Belarus). He died on June 4, 1872 in Warsaw. His interest in music became evident early in his childhood. He was introduced to the rudiments of music by taking private piano lessons. His formal music education took place in Berlin in 1837 where under Carl Friedrich Rungenhagen he studied composition and choral conducting. Several of his songs composed during this period were published by the firm of Bote & Bock and were favorably received by the music critics. Moniuszko's major operatic compositions: Halka, Straszny dwor (The Haunted Manor), Flis (The Raftsman), Hrabina (The Countess), and Verbum Nobile. The common trait shared by all these works are librettos which while depicting Polish nobility and gentry, and sometimes even the characters of common origins, above all, emphasized Polish customs and traditions, and at the time of national strife, sustained and fostered patriotic feelings. The first part of the 19-th century is marked in the history of Poland by her loss of statehood and the portion of her territories between the neighbors. The music of Moniuszko's works is largely representative of the 19-th century opera, given the extensive use by the composer of arias, recitatives and ensembles, with the exception of Straszny dwór (The Haunted Manor), where beautifully scored choral parts testify to Moniuszko's mastery of writing for many voices. His music too, although stylistically distinct, evidently incorporates many national motifs: Polish dances popular among upper classes such as polonaise and mazurka, and folk tunes and dances such as kujawiak and krakowiak. (text courtesy of UCS Polish Music Center ).

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01. String Quartet in E minor,Op. 7- Allegro Espressivo E Moderato    [0:09:31.22]
02. String Quartet in E minor,Op. 7- Scherzo- Allegro Vivace, Ma Non Troppo Presto    [0:06:40.60]
03. String Quartet in E minor,Op. 7- Adagio Molto Espressivo    [0:07:56.63]
04. String Quartet in E minor,Op. 7- Finale- Presto    [0:05:25.69]
05. String Quartet in F major- Allegro Moderato    [0:08:28.44]
06. String Quartet in F major- Andante    [0:04:30.27]
07. String Quartet in F major- Scherzo- Allegretto Baccanale Monacale    [0:02:02.06]
08. String Quartet in F major- Finale- Allegro    [0:02:17.49]
09. String quartet No 1 in D minor- Allegro Agitato    [0:04:58.12]
10. String quartet No 1 in D minor- Andantino    [0:03:44.04]
11. String quartet No 1 in D minor- Scherzo- Vivo    [0:03:29.63]
12. String quartet No 1 in D minor- Finale- Allegro Assai -Un Ballo Campestre E Sue Consequenze    [0:03:14.42]

Camerata Quartet:
Wlodzimierz Prominski – 1st violin
Andrzej Kordykiewicz – 2nd violin
Piotr Reichert – viola
Roman Hoffmann - cello

This interesting disc from Dux surveys early Polish string quartets by two major figures in Polish music who were contemporaries of Chopin, Ignacy Feliks Dobrzynski, and Stanislaw Moniuszko. Moniuszko is best known through his operas and large sacred choral works; outside of the two string quartets played here by the Camerata Quartet, he produced almost nothing in terms of chamber music. Dobrzynski wrote four operas, of which Monbar, or the Freebooters (1838) was the work the composer considered his most important. However, in posterity it is through instrumental music that Dobrzynski is known -- his two symphonies, various pieces in concertante format, and numerous chamber and solo piano works have kept his name alive. Dobrzynski has three string quartets, of which this E minor work is the first, dating from 1827-1828; it has a lot of energy, but is rather dependent on the example of Haydn in both formal structure and thematic drive. It is a student work, and this is made obvious when Dobrzynski launches into a stodgy fugue or makes use of other predictable devices. The quartet has an attractive sound and is very lively, but it sounds like a quartet written about 1790 rather than one from around 1830. To Dobrzynski's defense, this is precisely what his audience -- and probably his teachers -- was expecting; even as Chopin was making his first bow, musical tastes in Poland were rather behind the times and would remain so for some time after he died.

The two Moniuszko quartets are far more engaging. The Scherzo "Bacchanale Monacale" from the String Quartet No. 2 in F still bears some traces of Haydn, but it is shot full of tricky modulations, sudden stops, and original ideas -- it is at least closer in style to the Mendelssohn current in Moniuszko's time, if not a bit more quirky. The String Quartet No. 1 in D minor is a very striking piece of music, contrasting flowing lyricism with more stubborn, dramatic figures that are vaguely reminiscent of Beethoven; it is even more advanced than the second quartet, demonstrating that Dux has the right idea in terms of sequencing the album. Admittedly, with the Andante of the second quartet boasting the lyric melody "Przasniczka," which Moniuszko reused in a vocal setting that became popular in Poland, the second quartet is more immediate than the first, whereas the first is more ambitious -- they round one another out quite well.

The playing of the Camerata Quartet in all three of these works is very dedicated, energetic, and exciting. This recording was made in Polish Radio studios in 1994-1995 and originally issued on the Ricercar label; its return to the catalog is certainly welcome. By June 2007, there were no other recording of Dobrzynski and the only alternative to the Moniuszko quartets was a Varsovia Quartet entry that has long disappeared. If one has an interest in nineteenth century Polish music, or just in spirited string quartet playing, then Camerata Quartet's Moniuszko/Dobrzynski: String Quartets will be well worth your time. --- Uncle Dave Lewis, Rovi

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01 Wstęp / Introduction (Mariusz Bonaszewski)    2'35
02 Intrada: Lento – Allegretto: Widmo Pierwsze / First Phantom    5’26
– Lento – Un poco agitato, ma non troppo presto: Widmo Drugie /
Second Phantom – Andantino: Widmo Trzecie / Third Phantom
Nr 1 / No. 1
03 1a: Ciemno wszędzie, głucho wszędzie (Chor) /    0’53
All is darkness, all is quiet (Chorus)
04 1b: Zamknijcie drzwi od kaplicy (Guślarz, Starzec) /    0’50
Close the chapel doors now, tight (Guślarz, Old Man)
05 1c: Ciemno wszędzie, głucho wszędzie (Chor, Guślarz) /    2’01
All is darkness, all is quiet (Chorus, Guślarz)
06 1d: Podajcie mi garść kądzieli (Guślarz) / Pour some incense    0’19
in my hands (Guślarz)
07 1e: Naprzód wy z lekkiemi duchy (Guślarz, Chor) /    1’08
First, I call you lighter souls (Guślarz, Chorus)
Nr 2 / No. 2
08 Patrzcie, ach, patrzcie do góry (Guślarz, Aniołek, Chor) /    6’38
Look, ah, look up in the air (Guślarz, Little Angel, Chorus)
Nr 3 / No. 3
09 3a: Czego potrzebujesz, duszeczko (Guślarz, Aniołek, Chor) /
O, little soul – what do you need (Guślarz, Little Angel, Chorus)
10 3b: Aniołku, duszeczko! (Guślarz, Chor) / Little angel,
little soul (Guślarz, Chorus)
Nr 4 / No. 4
11 Już straszna północ prz ybywa (Guślarz, Starzec, Chor) /
Now the dreadful hour’s at hand (Guślarz, Old Man, Chorus)
Nr 5 / No. 5
12 Hej, kruki, sowy, orlice! (Głos, Guślarz, Chor) / Away,
she-eagles! Ravens! Owls! (Voice, Guślarz, Chorus)
13 Aria: Dzieci! nie znacież mnie, dzieci? (Widmo, Guślarz, Chor) /
Children, ho! Don’t you know me, children? (Ghost, Guślarz,
Chorus)
Nr 6 / No. 6
14 6a: A czegóż potrzeba dla dusz y (Guślarz, Widmo, Chor) /
What then is needed, for your soul (Guślarz, Ghost, Chorus)
15 6b: Nie lubisz umierać z głodu! (Kruk, Chor) / You’re hungry?
Oh – a thousand pardons! (Raven, Chorus)
16 6c: Nie lubisz umierać z głodu! (Sowa, Chor) / You’re hungry?
Hunger makes you grieve? (Owl, Chorus)
Nr 7 / No. 7
17 7a: Nie ma, nie ma dla mnie rady! (Widmo, Chor) /
No help, although I need it badly! (Ghost, Chorus)
18 7b: Gdy nic tobie nie pomoże (Guślarz, Chor) / If we may not
allay your pain (Guślarz, Chorus)
Nr 8 / No. 8
19 Podajcie mi, prz yjaciele (Guślarz, Starzec, Chor) /
Now take the wreath down from the pole (Guślarz,
Old Man, Chorus)
Nr 9 / No. 9
20 A toż cz y obraz Bogarodzicy? (Guślarz) / Mother of God!
This image! Thine? (Guślarz)
21 Duettino: Na głowie ma kraśny wianek (Guślarz,
Dziewczyna, Chor) / She wears a wreath upon her brow
(Guślarz, Maiden, Chorus)
Nr 10 / No. 10
22 Piosnka Zosi: Tu niegdyś w wiosny poranki (Dziewczyna) /
Zosia’s Song: Oh, once among the springtime dew (Maiden)
Nr 11 / No. 11
23 11a: Tak, Zosią byłam (Dziewczyna, Chor) / Yes, I was Zosia
(Maiden, Chorus)
24 11b: Czego potrzebujesz, duszeczko (Guślarz, Dziewczyna, Chor) /
What needs your soul, so sorely driven (Guślarz, Maiden, Chorus)
25 11c: Darmo bież ycie; to są marne cienie (Guślarz, Chor) /
In vain you rush – these are but shades (Guślarz, Chorus)
Nr 12 / No. 12
26 12a: Teraz wsz ystkie dusze razem (Guślarz, Chor) /
Now each and every soul I call (Guślarz, Chorus)
27 12b: Czas odemknąć drzwi kaplicy (Guślarz, Chor, Starzec) /
That’s all, time’s up. Open the door (Guślarz, Chorus, Old Man)
28 12c: To jest nad rozum człowiecz y! (Guślarz, Chor) /
This defies all human reason! (Guślarz, Chorus)

Jarosław Bręk (bas-baryton / bass-baritone), Paweł Janyst – Guślarz
Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk (sopran / soprano), Beata Passini – Dziewczyna / Maiden
Jerzy Butryn (bas-baryton / bass-baritone), Przemysław Wasilkowski – Widmo | Głos / Ghost | Voice
Bogdan Makal (bas-baryton / bass-baritone), Mariusz Bonaszewski – Starzec / Old Man
Joanna Rot (mezzosopran / mezzo-soprano), Anna Wieczorek – Sowa / Owl
Dominik Kujawa (baryton / baritone), Mariusz Bonaszewski – Kruk / Raven
Antoni Szuszkiewicz, Mikołaj Szuszkiewicz (soprany chłopięce / boy sopranos) – Aniołek / Little Angel

Chór NFM / NFM Choir
Wrocławska Orkiestra Barokowa / Wrocław Baroque Orchestra
Andrzej Kosendiak – dyrygent / conductor

The latest release of the National Forum of Music and CD Accord features Phantoms- a cantata by Stanislaw Moniuszko according to Part II of Adam Mickiewicz's Forefather's Eve. The recording produced by prominent singers- among them Jaroslaw Brek, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk and Jerzy Butryn, as well as actors, the NFM Choir and Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra under the direction of Andrzej Kosendiak- is the first in the original version, cleared of subsequent editorial changes. The album, which is the world premiere of the recording, is a rarity. The reconstruction of the score was made by Maciej Prochaska, whose commentary was included in the liner notes. Stanislaw Moniuszko is known as "the father of Polish opera" and the author of Songbook for Home Use. However, he was also a creator of cantatas, in which unlike any other Polish composer, he knew how to combine the typically operatic element of drama with characteristic lyricism and the meditative aura of songs. His cantatas are large-scale, multi-movement vocal-instrumental works, containing certain traits of both genres. ---hbdirect.com

Kantata na Halloween, czyli jak Passini brutalnie uwspółcześnił Moniuszkowską interpretację Mickiewiczowskich ''Dziadów'' w obecności telewizyjnych kamer. Premiera przedstawienia w TVP Kultura odbędzie się 31 października 2017 roku. W Dziady czy w Halloween?

Widmo krąży po polskich scenach operowych – widmo Stanisława Moniuszki. ''Halkę'' wyreżyserowali Paweł Passini (raz w Poznaniu, raz na Haiti) i Cezary Tomaszewski w Krakowie. Po opowieści o międzyklasowym romansie Jontka i Halki przyszła pora na opowieść bardziej metafizyczną, ''Widma'' na podstawie drugiej części ''Dziadów'' Adama Mickiewicza, czyli poetycki reportaż z obrzędu guseł. We wrześniu 2017 roku ''Widma'' zawitały do Narodowego Forum Muzyki w trakcie festiwalu Wratislavia Cantans. 2 listopada 2017 roku ten sam spektakl, ale w reżyserii Ryszarda Peryta, zainauguruje działalność Polskiej Opery Królewskiej w Warszawie.

Czym były ''Widma'' Passiniego? Dziełem teatru muzycznego, w którym warstwa sceniczna ma równoprawną wartość co muzyka? Swobodną adaptacją wykopanego na wykopaliskach utworu, w którym muzyka jest tylko tłem? Spektaklem, który nabierze wartości dopiero w trakcie transmisji telewizyjnej? Gwoli wyjaśnienia, ''Widma'' zagrano w NFM dwukrotnie, przy obecności kamer i ekipy TVP Kultura, która stała się kolejnym uczestnikiem horror show. na motywach Moniuszki.

To, co działo się na scenie, przynajmniej pod względem kostiumów i choreografii, chyba najlepiej określić właśnie mianem domu strachów. Narastającego spiętrzenia upiorów, których z każdą chwilą pojawia się coraz więcej: powykręcane postaci na szczudłach, straszydła bez oczu przyozdobione paskami z czaszek. Strachy przechadały się nie tylko po scenie, najbardziej upodobały sobie chodzenie pomiędzy rzędami widzów. Na podobnej zasadzie działają filmy i seriale grozy, na przykład popularne ''American Horror Story''. Z każdym odcinkiem atmosfera się zagęszcza, pojawia się więcej postaci, sytuacja protagonistów się pogarsza... Nigdy nie dochodzi do całkowitej kulminacji, napięcie tylko rośnie.

Nie bez powodu wspomianm o kulturze popularnej. Teoretycznie kostiumy widm nawiązywały do malarstwa Zdzisława Beksińskiego, ale byłoby to wyjątkowo płaskie potraktowanie twórczości wielowymiarowego twórcy. Na scenie ujrzałem po prostu potwory z popkultury: slenderman, ''Obcy'', ''Stranger Things'' (oblepiona mgłą i lepkimi materiałami scenografia), uniwersum Lovecrafta – długo by wymieniać. Nie ma w tym niczego złego, pytanie tylko: po co? Czy współbrzmiało to z przesłaniem płynącym z interpretacji Passiniego?

''Widma'' to opowieść antywojenna, wymierzona w znieczulicę społeczną. Jako reżyser teatralny, Paweł Passini potrafi stworzyć na scenie atmosferę niezwykłej intymności. Chociażby w swoich spektaklach poświęconych Zagładzie: ''Kryjówce'', ''Matkach'' – spektaklu, w którym występują ocaleni z Zagłady. Wymaga to wielkiej ostrożności, empatii w kontaktach z ludźmi. Nie czuć tam żadnej nut fałszu, widać za to całkowite zaufanie i zrozumienie pomiędzy aktorami a reżyserem. Trudno powtórzyć te słowa komentując ''Widma'': strachy z filmów grozy spotykają się tu z białymi hełmami, falami morza i zdjęciami uchodźców. W poprzednich spektaklach reżysera ubodła mnie brak emfazy towarzyszącej opowiadaniu o najważniejszych, najtrudniejszych tematach. Tym razem wszystko było wykrzyczane wielkimi literami, do tego nie łączyło się w spójną całość.

Mam nadzieję, że muzykę będzie wyraźnie słychać na antenie TVP Kultura, a sprawne cięcia montażystów złożą całość w narrację spójną i pozbawioną efekciarstwa. Muzyka Moniuszki na to zasługuje, szczególnie, że partytura została wyczyszczona ze współczesnych naleciałości przez wyjątkowo uzdolnionego muzykologa, Macieja Prochaskę. Prawdopodobnie brzmienie tej muzyki było podobne do tego, co grano w czasach Moniuszki – bez monumentalnych, symfonicznych naleciałości. Niestety w NFM nie było niczego słychać, dość cichą Wrocławską Orkiestrę Barokową i Chór NFM zagłuszano wypowiedziami aktorów, które były dodatkowo nagłaśniane. Prawdziwy horror! ---culture.pl

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Litania Ostrobramska I F-dur

1		I Maestoso - Kyrie eleison	5:35
2		II Andante - Sancta Maria	4:27
3		III Moderato - Salus infirmorum	4:09
4		IV Lento - Agnus Dei	5:08
		Litania Ostrobramska II F-dur

Litania Ostrobramska II F-dur
	
5		I Moderato - Kyrie eleison	4:39
6		II Grave - Christe audi nos	2:15
7		III Allegro - Sancta Maria	2:00
8		IV Moderato - Rosa mystica 	2:42
9		V Allegro - Agnus Dei	1:30

Litania Ostrobramska III e-moll

10		I Moderato - Kyrie eleison	3:38
11		II Andante - Christe audi nos	2:34
12		III Molto agitato - Sancta Maria	3:42
13		IV Andantino - Janua caeli	2:46
14		V Andante - Agnus Dei	4:31

Litania Ostrobramska IV C-dur
	
15		I Moderato - Kyrie eleison	2:42
16		II Andante - Christe audi nos	4:16
17		III Lento - Allegro moderato - Ora pro nobis, Refugium peccatorum	2:55
18		IV Vivace - Agnus Dei	4:11

Tracks: 1 - 4
Alto Vocals – Oksana Gołombowska
Baryton – Krzysztof Bobrzecki
Soprano Vocals – Paulina Boreczko
Tenor Vocals – Jakub Andrzej Grabowski
Alto Vocals – Oksana Gołombowska
Baryton – Krzysztof Bobrzecki
Soprano Vocals – Paulina Boreczko
Tenor Vocals – Jakub Andrzej Grabowski

Tracks: 5 - 9
Alto Vocals – Katarzyna Maliszewska
Baryton – Cezary Kozłowski
Soprano Vocals – Marta Wróblewska
Tenor Vocals – Jakub Andrzej Grabowski
Alto Vocals – Katarzyna Maliszewska
Baryton – Cezary Kozłowski
Soprano Vocals – Marta Wróblewska
Tenor Vocals – Jakub Andrzej Grabowski

Tracks: 10 - 14
Alto Vocals – Ewa Głażewska
Baryton – Krzysztof Bobrzecki
Soprano Vocals – Katarzyna Januszczyk
Tenor Vocals – Jakub Andrzej Grabowski

Tracks: 15 - 18
Alto Vocals – Oksana Gołombowska
Baryton – Maciej Bogumił Nerkowski
Instrumentation By – Mirosław Maciej Banach
Soprano Vocals – Paulina Boreczko
Tenor Vocals – Aleksander Szagun
Alto Vocals – Oksana Gołombowska
Baryton – Maciej Bogumił Nerkowski
Instrumentation By – Mirosław Maciej Banach
Soprano Vocals – Paulina Boreczko
Tenor Vocals – Aleksander Szagun

Nagrań dokonano na koncertach w kościele pw. św Antoniego w Sokółce (PL).
Litania I - 2003,
Litania II - 2000,
Litania III - 2002,
Litania IV - 2005.
W nagraniu Litanii Ostrobramskich udział brały orkiestry:
Orkiestra Polskiego Chóru Pokoju - 2000, 2002, 2003
Sinfonica Academica - orkiestra kameralna AMFC w Warszawie Filia w Białymstoku - 2005

Stanisław Moniuszko is best known as the father of Polish opera and writer of songs with impressive circulation. However, he is also a true master of other genres e.g. church music, a part of his activity unjustly regarded as marginal by many critics.

Moniuszko wrote church music throughout his life not only for practical reasons (being an organist at a church in Vilnius) but mostly because of a deep need resulting from his deep faith. Writing music, to him, was like saying a prayer. `My father,´ his son recalled, `used to get up around five to attend the Prime. He was always very religious and drew inspiration for his religious works from the depths of his soul.´ Moniuszko´s church music output comprises almost ninety works, including masses, cantatas, motets, religious songs, as well instrumental transcriptions thereof. Many are unique, brilliant pieces, inspired and full of original ideas. ---CDAccord, soundcloud.com

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.

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. ---Uncle Dave Lewis, allmusic.com

Kompozycje religijne zajmowały w twórczości Stanisława Moniuszki marginesowe miejsce, nie poświęcił im tyle czasu co operze, twórczości kantatowej czy pieśni. Spośród nich wyróżniają się cztery "Litanie ostrobramskie". Skomponowane na cześć Najświętszej Marii Panny Ostrobramskiej powstały w latach 1843-55: "I Litania F-dur" pochodzi z 1843 roku, "II Litania F-dur" z 1849 roku, o "III Litanii e-moll" wiadomo, że została skomponowana przed 1854 rokiem, wreszcie "IV Litania C-dur" powstała w 1855 roku. Wszystkie "Litanie", wykonywane za czasów kompozytora w Ostrej Bramie w Wilnie, mają tekst łaciński. Moniuszko wykorzystał w nich swoje doświadczenia zdobyte na polu twórczości pieśniowej i kantatowej. Nawiązał również wyraźnie do stylu ludowych kantyczek.

Największe uznanie zyskała "III Litania", którą również sam Moniuszko szczególnie cenił, o czym świadczą liczne wzmianki w jego korespondencji o wykonaniach tego utworu i pertraktacje z wydawcą mające na celu szybki druk dzieła. Po wykonaniu "III Litanii" w prasie pojawiły się bardzo pochlebne recenzje:

"Wsłuchując się w tę muzykę, rozpoznajemy rzeczywiście całą myśl autora, która oddana została z wrodzonym i właściwym jemu tylko talentem. Znika tu zupełnie monotonność, której nie mogą uniknąć kompozytorowie dzieł religijnych, a miejsce jej zajmuje owa coraz bardziej w najróżnorodniejszych formach rozwijająca się szczytność, jaka przemawiając do serca słuchacza, podnosi zarówno myśl jego ducha ku Najwyższej Istocie." ("Czas" nr 98, 28 kwietnia 1859)

W 1862 roku Moniuszko, podczas pobytu w Paryżu, dedykował utwór Gioacchino Rossiniemu, który w liście dziękczynnym pisał do niego:

"Panie i kolego kochany, przebiegłem z żywym zajęciem 'Litanię' twej kompozycji, którą mi zaofiarowałeś, szczęśliwy, że mogę ci tu wyrazić szczere moje powinszowanie z powodu dzieła, które godnością stylu i religijną prostotą winno zyskać świetne powodzenie. Gdybym słuchał tylko głosu skromności, wymówiłbym się od zaszczytu dedykacji, która z wartością twojej muzyki zespoli moją miłość własną; ale ta ostatnia jest nieprzepartą, więc przyjmuję dumny z tego koleżeństwa." (Witold Rudziński, "Stanisław Moniuszko" cz. II, PWM, Kraków 1961, s. 337)

"III Litania" została wydana w 1862 roku u Flaxlanda w Paryżu.

"Litanie" pisał Moniuszko z myślą o wykonawcach-amatorach, dlatego jakiekolwiek trudności wykonawcze musiał zredukować do minimum. Kompozytor dysponował orkiestrą, której skład i umiejętności pozostawiały wiele do życzenia, o czym wspominał w jednym z listów:

"[…] Fagotu ani zapachu, oboi jeden, a drugi (secundo) klarnet tak sfałszowany, że wolałbym raczej, ażeby wcale nie egzystował. Waltornie arcysłabe, trąby jeszcze słabsze, za to puzan grzmi za wszystkich. Kotły są doskonałe, ale kotlisty nie mamy. Kwartet więcej jak mierny. […] Po tych objaśnieniach zapytasz, jakim sposobem odbywam moje koncerta? Otóż naprzód: piszę wyłącznie na naszą orkiestrę – znając onej niebezpieczeństwa, żegluję ostróżnie i jakoś mi się udaje. – Wnóśże z tych pętów [popr. z pędów] o moim geniuszu!" (Stanisław Moniuszko. "Listy zebrane", oprac. Witold Rudziński, list do Józefa Sikorskiego, 3/15 III 1851, PWM, Kraków 1969)

Za wyjątkiem "III Litanii" pozostałe wykonywane były sporadycznie, a po wyjeździe Moniuszki z Wilna utwory te pojawiały się częściej w salach koncertowych niż w Ostrej Bramie. ---culture.pl

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