On January 19, 2025, the Canzoniere song cycle by Dr. Piotr Gryska, composed for mezzo-soprano, cello, and piano to the words of Francesco Petrarca, had its world premiere at St. John's Basilica (St. Johannes Basilika) in Berlin. The work, composed in April 2024 for the 650th anniversary of the poet’s death, was performed by Weronika Włodarczyk, a talented young mezzo-soprano, currently a graduate student at the Vocal Department of the Academy of Art in Szczecin, under the guidance of Dr. Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska, Professor at the Academy.
The vocalist invited Antoni Majewski, an equally gifted cellist and doctoral student at the Szczecin Academy of Art under Professor Tomasz Szczęsny, and the experienced pianist Agnieszka Barańska, with whom she works on a daily basis, to collaborate.
The title Canzoniere is inspired by the collection of 366 poems by Petrarca of the same name, in which the poet sings of his love for God and his beloved Laura. The timelessness of this poetic framework, spanning centuries, is deeply admirable, as Petrarca's sonnets and other poetic forms continue to set trends in world literature to this day. Piotr Gryska is the first Polish composer to set the original Italian texts of this popular author to music. The invaluable assistance in the compositional process came from Angelo Sollano, a collaborator of the Academy of Art in Szczecin (Foreign Language Studies), who provided translations of the poetry, as well as the vocalist’s linguistic corrections.
The cycle of 10 songs by Piotr Gryska, Canzoniere, was first performed at St. John’s Basilica in Berlin thanks to the generosity of Father Przemysław Kawecki. Given the theme of divine love, it was hard to imagine a more fitting venue for the premiere than the temple of the Polish Catholic Mission in Berlin. The concert took place after the 12:00 Mass, and the enthusiastic audience greeted the piece with great appreciation, demanding an encore. The artists brought only Polish music to Berlin, surrounding the Canzoniere cycle with Chopin’s Życzenie (Wish) at the beginning and Moniuszko’s Prząśniczka (The Spinning Woman) at the end. The delighted Polish diaspora audience rewarded the artists with loud applause and shouts of “bravo!” After the concert, they complimented the well-composed work and the excellent coordination of the musicians.
The concert was coordinated, artistically supervised, and moderated by Dr. Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska, Professor at the Academy of Art.
The event was organized by the Academy of Art in Szczecin, the First-Class Initiatives Association, and Musikverein BEL CANTO Ueckermünde e.V.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC.
The Polish premiere of the Canzoniere cycle by Piotr Gryska will take place on January 30, 2025, at 5:00 PM in the Concert Hall of the Pomeranian Voivodeship Palace (Niepodległości 40) in Szczecin.
Dr. Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska
In the picture from the left: Dr. Piotr Gryska, Agnieszka Barańska, Weronika Włodarczyk, Dr. Sylwia Burnicka-Kalischewska, Antoni Majewski.
