The life of Bartłomiej Pękiel, one of the most prominent Baroque composers of Poland, is veiled by mystery. Both the date and place of the artist’s birth remain unknown. Recently discovered source material just suggests that the he died in 1666. It is quite certain, though, that his whole artistic life was associated with the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in a rather prestigious position: eventually he was appointed Kapellmeister of the king of Poland, in 1653, after having served as vice-Kapellmeister for a dozen years. However, the 1655 invasion of Swedish troops and their occupation of Warsaw dispersed both the court and the musicians. The history of Pękiel in this chaotic period remains blurred: Kraków, Vienna, things remain unclear until 1658 when he was elected as the head of the Wawel cathedral chapel in Kraków.
The compositions of Pękiel recorded on the album illustrate two main stylistic tendencies followed by creators of religious music at the time: the modern concert style (stile moderno) and the old style (stile antico), referring to the tradition of the late renaissance polyphony. Examples of the first one include Missa Concertata La Lombardesca and the Missa a 14 – the only masses by Pękiel in stile moderno which survived until today. The whole Lombardesca literally glitters in the kaleidoscopic changes of the performing forces and the resulting contrasts, the essence of concert style. The second style is represented by such works as the Missa paschalis and two masses nicknamed senza le cerimonie, i.e. for no particular ceremony.
Complementing the masses recorded on the album are four instrumental compositions by Pękiel: the Fugue for keyboard instrument and three canons, the only examples from this part of the composer’s oeuvre that survived to our times. Surprising as it may be – after all, Pękiel was also an organist, and in the mid-seventeenth century keyboard music was developing dynamically in almost all of Europe – one should keep in mind that the main responsibility of the musician employed at the Vasa court and at the Kraków Cathedral was to compose vocal and vocal-instrumental pieces. The Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, who plays these marvellous masterpieces, was founded by Andrzej Kosendiak and since its beginnings has performed under his artistic leadership. The ensemble focuses on the Baroque repertoire, special attention being paid to rare ancient Polish music, from chamber works to oratorios and cantatas. © SM/Qobuz