Jozef Krogulski Musique sacrée vol 4 Ostrynska Grzegorzewska Koska Jin Naczk Wa Yu Kaczorowski

Le label “Acte Préalable” nous permet une fois de plus de redécouvrir des oeuvres d’un compositeur polonais méconnu. L’aventure éditoriale consacrée à la musique sacrée de Jozef Krogulski a commencé en 2021 nous offrant aujourd’hui un quatrième volume consacré à de courtes pièces chorales en plus d’un Miserere d’une vingtaine de minutes. Malgré une vie écourtée par la maladie dans sa vingt-septième année, l’oeuvre de Krogulski fut prolifique comprenant des pièces orchestrales dont deux concertos pour piano, de la musique de chambre, pour piano, pour voix seule ou accompagnée, ainsi que de nombreuses pièces de musique sacrée. Gageons que le label “Acte Préalable” continuera à nous faire redécouvrir l’oeuvre de celui que ses contemporains qualifiait en tant que pianiste de “Mozart polonais” ou encore de “Jeune Liszt”. Car enfin il se dégage de ces courtes pièces un charme élégant, simple et touchant, à l’écriture claire et aérée, les rendant plus séduisantes les unes que les autres. Les voix limpides aux polyphonies harmonieuses associées à la mélodieuse délicatesse de compositions lumineuses et enthousiasmantes font de cet album une jolie et réjouissante découverte. Quant au Miserere, son discours plus dramatique mériterait une adaptation avec chœur et orchestre tant la composition est éloquente. Un compositeur à suivre. (Laurent Mineau)

Who was Józef Krogulski? Why was he unique? How did he become famous? What music did he bequeath to us? To answer all of these questions, we shall reach for the fifth volume of the PWM Music Encyclopaedia (Kraków 1997), and read what Barbara Chmara-Zaczkiewicz wrote about this composer. There we learn that Krogulski was Chopin’s contemporary, as he lived between 1815–1842. However, contrary to Chopin, Krogulski probably never took regular piano lessons in any school. Quite possibly he was taught by his father. Michal, who was himself a composer and teacher. It is however known that Józef took composing classes at the General Music School in Warsaw, where he was taught by such teachers as Karol Kurpinski and Józef Elsner. Krogulski’s first public concert took place in 1825. At that time, Józef was only 10 years old. This artistic event launched a series of performances, which led to the young musician gaining more and more fame. He was seen as a ‘promising pianist’ and was called the ‘Polish Mozart’ and the ‘young Liszt’. After a few months in Germany, during which he performed numerous concerts, he was termed a prodigy. (...) In terms of his creative output, Krogulski was an incredibly fecund composer. Considering he lived only 27 years, he left behind an astounding amount of music. We can distinguish orchestral works, such as the Overture in D minor for piano and orchestra, two piano concertos, chamber, piano, vocal, eleven vocal-instrumental cantatas, ten masses...