Paweł Łukaszewski

A personal memory

In February 2005, Paweł Łukaszewski took the jury of the Musica Sacra International Composition Competition from Warsaw to his birthplace, Częstochowa. The bus jolted over rough roads through the snow-covered countryside in sub-zero temperatures. During that uncomfortable journey, a recording of his Via Crucis, heard privately for the first time, left a profound impression through its warmth, rich harmonies and haunting repetitions.

At Jasna Góra, Jerzy Duda-Gracz’s paintings of the Stations of the Cross were extraordinary, but the most enduring memory is of the chapel of the Black Madonna. As the sacred icon was revealed at the end of Mass, trumpets suddenly sounded a fanfare in E-flat major from high above, and the worshippers fell to their knees. Those trumpets still ring in memory — an unforgettable glimpse of the spiritual world from which Paweł’s music emerges.

Concerts and recordings

Stephen Layton’s association with Paweł Łukaszewski’s music began with performances of his Advent Antiphons with the BBC Singers and has developed over more than two decades through concerts, premieres and recordings.

In 2006, he gave the premiere of Łukaszewski’s Mass for choir and wind instruments, in its organ version, with the Holst Singers at London’s Temple Church, subsequently performing the work in Warsaw and at the Gaude Mater Festival in Częstochowa. He later recorded Via Crucis with Polyphony and Britten Sinfonia for Hyperion, and returned to the work at the Wratislavia Cantans Festival in Wrocław. Other collaborations in Poland have included the premiere of the Magnificat and Nunc dimittis with the Polish Chamber Choir and Sinfonietta Cracovia.

The seven Advent Antiphons have remained particularly central to his work. First introduced into the Advent services of Trinity College Cambridge in 2006, they featured in his 2007 Hyperion recording of Łukaszewski’s choral music with the college choir. During those recording sessions, the composer wrote a new Nunc dimittis, dedicated to Layton and the choir, which Layton has subsequently performed widely.

More recent performances of the Advent Antiphons have included concerts with the Holst Singers at the Temple Church, Brentwood Cathedral and the 2024 Joy & Devotion Festival of Polish Sacred Music in London. Layton has also been preparing a performing edition of the seven antiphons in consultation with the composer.

The Musica Sacra International Composition Competition, which first brought Layton and Łukaszewski together in 2005, has remained an important part of their musical friendship. Layton has served on its international jury over many years, including when the competition was hosted at Trinity College Cambridge in 2016, reflecting their shared commitment to encouraging new generations of composers.

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