Poland, Jastrzębie-Zdrój
Concert Hall of Music School
Artists
/Joanna Kreft - violin
/Krzysztof Firlus - viola da gamba
/Anna Krzyżak-Siarkowska – viola
/Aureliusz Goliński - leader
Arte dei Suonatori Orchestra
Royal Playlist
The “Royal Playlist” program takes you back to a time when live music served the same function as today’s playlists—collections of pieces that can be arranged according to personal preferences and replayed multiple times. In the 18th century, music was an integral part of daily life at the royal court, accompanying both official ceremonies and private life. Just as we create playlists today to showcase our musical preferences, kings and aristocrats had their favorite trendy pieces and preferred performers.
We will present the works of four composers: Johann Adolf Hasse, Johann David Heinichen, Carl Friedrich Abel, and Georg Philipp Telemann, whose creations were certainly “added to favorites” by the royal court. During the reign of Kings Augustus II and Augustus III, as Electors of Saxony, they maintained two court ensembles in Dresden and Warsaw. The repertoires of these orchestras partially overlapped. Many well-known and respected musicians and composers of contemporary Europe passed through the ranks of the Polnische Kapelle, the Warsaw ensemble. J.A. Hasse, the royal-electoral Kapellmeister at the courts of the Saxon kings, achieved an extraordinary career, becoming one of the most famous and esteemed German composers of his time. J.D. Heinichen was Hasse’s predecessor in this most important musical position at the royal court, while C.F. Abel worked as a member of Augustus III’s chapel. In G.P. Telemann’s music, we find numerous inspirations from native folk music, which he passionately collected during his stays in the territories of present-day Poland. Perhaps for this reason, his compositions were also performed with great success at the Polish royal court.
We invite you to discover the musical treasures of the 18th century and immerse yourself in the atmosphere of the royal court in Warsaw.
