Joy and Devotion - the Polish Sacred Music Festival in London
In October 1978 Karel Wojtyłla was elected to the Papacy as John Paul II: the first ever Polish Pope. To his fellow-countrymen, struggling against communist tyranny, it seemed like a kind of miracle, and a generation of Polish composers responded to the John Paul’s moral leadership with some of the most committed and communicative choral music of the late 20th century – still far too little-known in Western Europe. Stephen Layton and Polyphony (“possibly the best small professional chorus in the world” – Encore magazine) put that right tonight, with a whole evening of UK premieres dedicated to the Polish Pope; the man they called “the peacemaker”.
The Adam Mickiewicz Institute has announced the launch of Joy & Devotion, a new annual festival of Polish sacred music, continuing its dynamic endeavour to bring the abundance of Polish culture to international audiences.
Taking place at St Martin-in-the-Fields in November 2022 under the artistic direction of composer and conductor Paweł Łukaszewski, Joy & Devotion features renowned choral groups performing programmes of religious works by composers both renowned and lesser-known ranging from the 13th to 21st centuries.
