Polish Radio Choir 'compelling' at Edinburgh Festival

The choir performs at Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh.Photo: Chór Polskiego Radio/Facebook

The choir presented a programme of religious works by Polish composers Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki and Krzysztof Penderecki on Monday at the city's Greyfriars Kirk.

Reviewing the event in The Scotsman, Susan Nickalls wrote that "Choirmaster Izabela Polakowska kept a tight rein on the 40-strong singers in the choir who beautifully articulated the subtle shifts of harmony in these [Górecki’s] straightforward settings.

“In Most Holy Mother and Hail Mary, set to texts from a Polish hymnal, the singers revelled in Górecki’s clever use of the hissing sibilance of the Polish language, which created a percussive rhythm all of its own.

“By contrast, Penderecki’s equally compelling, but often politically-edged, music, sounds more modern, with its contrapuntal collisions and listless harmonies, melodies and rhythms that never stand still.”

As an encore the choir repeated Penderecki’s Agnus Dei from his Polish Requiem. (mk/nh)