Requiem

“When we consider music created in the process of blending interpretation with improvisation, the most significant artistic accomplishments are usually achieved by ensembles whose personnel remains unchanged over the years. In such groups, a certain metaphysical bond is formed over time, thanks to which sonic matter can take shape characterised by particularly strong emotional and expressional intensity. Then, there is also a certain type of intellectual connection which leads to more effective creation of musical content. The Andrzej Jagodziński Trio is the best example of the above phenomenon. The leader, a pianist, multi-instrumentalist, composer and arranger, along with his friends: the bassist Adam Cegielski and the drummer Czesław “Mały” Bartkowski, have been performing and recording together for more than a quarter of a century, shaping and developing their own, entirely individual, style. They have been referencing multiple musical currents, among which jazz reigns supreme. In the trio’s performances, the marriages of polyphonic and homophonic techniques confronted with swing are not only fascinating, but also constitute significant aesthetic and artistic accomplishments. It is enough to listen to their records inspired by Fryderyk Chopin’s and Johann Sebastian Bach’s works to find oneself in awe of their erudition and logics in constructing a consistent narrative. In Andrzej Jagodziński’s Requiem, the composition recorded here, we can hear a masterful performance and an amazing coherence of the musical matter. The fragments presented in counterpoints, the monodic ones with accompaniment, ones referencing modality, contemporary composition techniques, and, above all, jazz – are all integrally related, in spite of their immense textural and stylistic range. The vocalists invited to participate in the recording of the work: Grażyna Auguścik, Agnieszka Wilczyńska, Wojciech Myrczek, and the “Camerata Silesia” Katowice City Singers Ensemble conducted by Anna Szostak, are, in my view, ones whose performances reach the ultimate heights of vocal art on an international scale. Their skill is unsurpassable, while their interpretative fervency is perfectly convincing. Andrzej Jagodziński Trio, in turn, are an ensemble showing mastery in improvisation and interpretation, for whom alternating between most varied stylistic, metric, rhythmical, and articulatory areas proves to be no challenge whatsoever. Their innovative solutions, including those within existing musical genres, constitute a reference point for multiple other artists. Andrzej Jagodziński’s funeral mass is an exquisite composition, made a masterpiece by wonderful performers. Furthermore, I need to mention the record’s flawless acoustic production. Piotr Semczuk and Krzysztof Kurek have indeed contributed to the phonographic achievement greatly.”

Piotr Kałużny

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