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Compositeur autodidacte et pianiste talentueux, Jozef Krogulski (1815-1842) fit une carrière de concertiste, dirigeant parfois l'orchestre tout en composant un abondant catalogue. Ces trois Messes furent composées et crées à Varsovie entre 1836 et 1841, période cruciale pendant laquelle la Pologne était menacée de dislocation par la Russie, la Prusse et l'Autriche. Elles sont d'ailleurs chantées en polonais. Enregistrées ici en avant-première mondiale, elles ne dépassent guère le cadre de leur fonction liturgique et surtout fédératrice. Basées sur des mélodies simples, elles sont conçues pour trois ou quatre chanteurs solistes avec le soutien de l'orgue. On préférera les deux Hymnes chantés eux en latin et si idiomatiques, d'une ferveur plus communicative. Essentielle en ces temps bousculés. (Jérôme angouillant)  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...
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