Program of the improvisations,
analyse and theological references
The purpose of
this album is to show the musical richness of the South Organ at Lichen
Basilica by means of improvisations in the typical forms of symphonic organ
music, with particular reference to the French
tradition. The subject of all the improvisations is the Person and the
qualities of the Holy Mother of God, Mary. The improvisations presented are
programme music illustrating specific events based on themes taken from the treasury
of Gregorian chants and Polish Marian hymns.
The first improvisation
is the seven-part Organ Symphony,
which illustrates the events of Mary's life in the period from the Annunciation
of the good news by Archangel Gabriel to the Presentation of Christ in the
temple – hence its name "Advent".
The first movement of the Symphony is the dynamic Toccata based on the theme of Marian hymn Ave Maris Stella. In the second part of the Symphony, we accompany Mary during her
encounter with the Divine Messenger. In the undisturbed tempo Moderato sostenuto, melodies and citations
from two Polish Advent hymns are used: Błogosławiona jesteś Maryjo (Blessed are you
Mary) and Archanioł Boży Gabriel (God’s Archangel Gabriel). Part three, Fuge in f minor, illustrates internal Mary's dilemmas, which are astonished by the
Angelic message, contemplating the singularity of the Divine plan of the
Incarnation. The forth part of the Symphony, Rêverie, in the ethereal atmosphere of the vibrating celestial voices (Choir de
Voix coelestis), with the theme of the Gregorian melody of Ave Maria, is an illustration of the
words of the Archangel to Mary. In the fifth part, a busy Scherzo with a classic ABA1 structure,
we see a joyful movement in the Heart of Mary; this is an illustration of the
excitement of realizing that God has chosen her as Mother of His Son; the
canvas of this part is the Gregorian theme of the antiphon Ave Regina Caelorum, which praises the Person and motherhood of
Mary.
In the sixth
part of the Symphony, maintained in the spirit of Meditation, the theme of the Marian Fathers’ anthem (Mater Dei Immaculata), appears. They are
the oldest Polish religious male-congregation, the custodians of the Lichen
Sanctuary, who have been caring for this place for more than 60 years, and
their spirituality is strongly linked to the Immaculate Conception of Mary. The
Symphony ends with Final in the form
of Toccata, in which, against the background of the dazzling and swift manual
transitions, we hear in the lowest voice, for the second time the Gregorian
theme of the ancient antiphon Ave Regina
Caelorum. This is an underlining of the meaning of God's Mother in
God's plan of Incarnation.
The second
improvisation in this album is the illustrated Symphony Poem "Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted"
conveying the spiritual help that the Faithful receive through prayer to the Mother
of God. The first part of the poem, Litany,
initially presents the confusions of human destiny, dominated by conflict,
anxiety, quarrels and struggles, and then, through the emergence of the heroic music
theme of Vilnius's Loreto Litany, the
process uniting those pleading for help begins. The motivational work, characteristic
of symphonic orchestra music, using the elements of the melody of the litanies,
refers to the numerous names by which Mary is called in the Litany of Loreto
(Comforter of the afflicted, Help of the Faithful...) and repeatedly Ora pro nobis. The second part of the
Poem is a poetic Cantilène
exploring, announced at the end of the first part, the mood of calm. Part three
of the Poem, Affirmation, which in a
march tempo recalls the theme of the song Chwalcie łąki umajone (Praise the green meadows), strongly linked in Polish tradition with the May devotion, illustrates
the affirmation of the soul in the belief that prayer to Mary is an eternal
remedy for the spiritual cares of Man. The four part, in the registers of Choir of Human Voices (Choeur de Vox humaines), illustrates
the peace of the souls of the faithful who, especially in a last hour of
life, experience spiritual solace in Mary's maternal embrace. The Poem
concludes with a powerful Finale depicting the Last Judgment and the opening the
gate of eternity (Porta Aeternum),
upon which Glory and Majesty of God the Father sitting on the throne appear;
Tuba Mirabilis announces to the world the Words of God's judgments, followed by
their irrevocable fulfilment.
The way of
recording the improvisations, with unrestricted reverb, is to show to the
Audience the power of acoustics of the interior of the Lichen basilica,
the largest church in Poland (volume 300.000 m3, area
23.000 m2, length 139 m, width in the transept axis
144 m, height of the main nave 44 m, transept height 33 m).
Michał Szostak - Director of Music and the main Organist at the Sanctuary of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Lichen Stary (Poland). He started studying the organ at the age of 17 in Warsaw, under Pawel Ginda. He is a graduate of the Józef Elsner School of Music in Warsaw in the organ class of Prof. Roman Szlaużys (organ improvisation in the class of Prof. Marian Sawa). He studied organ playing as part of an artistic internship at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw in Prof. Andrzej Chorosiński’s class, as well as organ improvisation at the Pontificio Istituto Ambrosiano di Musica Sacra in Milan in Maestro Davide Paleari’s class. Since 2013 he has been a member of The Royal College of Organists, based in London, UK, and since 2014 (as the first Pole) has had a certificate (certRCO) from this prestigious royal company. Since 2017 he has been a member of The American Guild of Organists, based in New York City, USA. He regularly participates in master classes on the subject matter of organ works (eg Ullrich Böhme, Pieter van Dijk, Bernhard Gfrerer, Olivier Penin, Louis Robilliard, Daniel Roth and Jean-Claude Zehnder), organ improvisation (Frédéric Blanc Thierry Escaich, Samuel Liégeon, Baptiste-Florian Marle-Ouvrard, Wolfgang Seifen, Sietze de Vries) and liturgical music (Roman Catholic and Anglican) as well as academic conferences on organ and sacred music – both in Poland and abroad. He is also a concert organist as a soloist and chamber musician. In the years 2002-2011, he was an organist at the Church of Our Lady of Lourdes in Warsaw. In 2004, he wrote a monograph on the history of the organ of this church, and in 2005 he recorded a compact disc, which is the only record of the sound of this instrument which no longer exists. At that time he co-authored a series of broadcasts on Warsaw-Prague Radio 106.2. Since 2011, he has held the position of organist at the Sanctuary of the Virgin Mary in Lichen Stary, where he plays the largest 157-stop organ in Poland located in Lichen Basilica. In 2017, he wrote the book "The Lichen Organ in relation to the Largest Instruments in Poland, Europe and the World" and recorded the compact disc "Ave Regina Caelorum" with his improvisations performed on the symphonic organ of Basilica in Lichen. In addition, he has completed Master's and PhD studies (dissertation in progress) in the area of economics at the Leon Kozminski Academy in Warsaw. He is also the founder and president of the board of the Jan Drzewoski Foundation dealing with a wide range of organ themes. For more information, visit www.michalszostak.org