September 20, Tuesday, 6 pm
The Palace of the Grand Dukes of Lithuania, Katedros a. 4
Monarca della tromba
Inspired by the sound of trumpets
STARCK COMPAGNAY, Poland
- Tomasz Ślusarczyk – trumpet, director
- Stanisław Majerski – trumpet
- Paweł Chulisz – trumpet
- Michał Tyrański – trumpet
- Ryszard Haba – timpani
- Marcin Świątkiewicz – organ
The history of brass instruments, especially trumpets, is long and rich. Natural trumpets were around up until the Baroque era. Musicians playing these instruments worked in courts and in churches. For example, in 1460 the royal court of Innsbruck acquired two trumpets, while in 1474 Klarryter, also known as trumpet-clarinet players, were employed for the first time at the Church of St. Mary in Lübeck. The term clarino appeared rather later, only in 1561 in Germany which saw the first ever mention of the trumpet player, taking the clarino part in Annaberg, Saxony.
In the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, trumpet players worked in the courts of the magnates, the Sapieha, Liubomirski and Wiśniowiecki families. Undoubtedly the most important centre for clarino art was the Jasna Góra Monastery in Częstochowa. Clarino playing reached its apogee in the works of J. S. Bach and G. F. Handel – in many cases they gave the most important parts to the trumpet (it also came first in musical scores, being followed by the violin, flute, oboe, etc.). Clarino players were much respected and considered elite musicians, accordingly, their wages were the greatest. Renowned performers of the time such as Gottfried Reiche who was associated with J. S. Bach, also helped popularize the clarino. Playing early instruments makes it possible to return to the origins and search for the sound that is closest to these past eras. This concert’s programme is a unique initiative in early music performance using instruments of that era that pays respect to the natural trumpet, once an especially popular virtuoso instrument.
This Baroque trumpet ensemble was formed in Krakow in 1997 by trumpet players T. Ślusarczyk, S. Majerski and timpani player R. Haba. The core of the ensemble consists of Polish trumpet players who regularly play in various Polish orchestras as well as students of the Baroque trumpet class at the Academy of Music in Bygdoszcz. When needed, four additional musicians join the ensemble who play historical trombones. Starck Compagnay collaborate with famous Polish and foreign musicians such as Paul Esswood, Peter Hanson, Marek Toporowski, Ludmiła Gołub, David Staff and others.
The main idea of the ensemble is the performance of early music using historical instruments giving special attention to representational, court and sacred music, cloaking it in a suitable historical and liturgical context. The ensemble continues the 400 year old Jasna Góra corpus trumpet playing tradition. Its name is taken from 17th century trumpet maestro Heronymus Starck, whose trumpet is preserved at Jasna Góra. The musicians perform anonymous or rarely heard of authors’ works, thereby demanding high expectations of themselves and thus revealing the true brilliance of the works. The ensemble’s most important projects to date are “Missa Tridentina”, Requiem Sarmackie and Polish Vespers. The ensemble has performed in many festivals in Poland, Russia, Germany and Ukraine.