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Photo from family archive
ROMAN MACIEJEWSKI hominum ignorantiae victimis
MISSA PRO DEFUNCTIS (REQUIEM)
pro defunctis in bellis omnium temporum pro defunctis in vinculis tyrannorum pro defunctis iniuriae legum humanarum causa pro defunctis Divini ordinis naturae rerum ignaris Oremus Fratres
(for soprano, alto, tenor, bass, mixed choir and orchestra)
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Photo from family archive
ROMAN MACIEJEWSKI was born in Berlin in 1910 into a family with a musical tradition. At the age of six he was enrolled in S. Goldenweiser’s piano class at the Stern Conservatory in Berlin. In 1919, his family moved to Poland. Maciejewski entered the Poznań Conservatory to study the piano. Having completed his piano education, he took up composition with S. Wiechowicz. At sixteen, he became the leader of a choir named after Stanisław Moniuszko, a 19thcentury Polish composer of national operas. They gave concerts in Poland and abroad. Later, Maciejewski continued to study composition in Warsaw, but he did not finish his studies, despite his reputation as one of the most promising of the younger composers. He was expelled from the Conservatory for organising a student strike in support of the outgoing rector, Karol Szymanowski. In 1933 Roman Maciejewski left Poland for good. He spent some time in Paris where he studied with Nadia Boulanger, and then embarked on a life of extensive travel, taking him to France, Switzerland, England, Sweden, USA, the Canary Islands and back to Sweden where he has taken up permanent residence. When he was thirty years old, he fell seriously ill. Despite several operations, his condition remained critical. He then changed completely his lifestyle – vegetarian diet, psycho-physical exercises, including a special breathing technique, running and swimming became his daily routine. Prayer and meditation made him feel closer to Nature, cosmos and the Maker. This new attitude helped him make a gradual recovery. Taking a detached view on life with its nervous rhythm, he remained a little on the sidelines. However, there was a price to be paid for his independence. He gave up his pursuit of success, fame and money and, consequently, turned down many attractive offers. He said no to Artur Rubinstein who approached him about a concerto, and to Samuel Goldwyn who offered him a prestigious position with MGM. He earned his living as an organist and the leader of the Roman Choir he had founded, and made
occasional piano appearances in different countries. Also, he collaborated with Kurt Joss’s ballet in England and wrote music for Ingmar Bergman’s stage productions in Sweden. Maciejewski’s music includes orchestral works, chamber music, choral pieces (masses with organ) and piano pieces (mazurkas, compositions for 2 pianos) as well as ballet and theatre music. However, he has never treated composing as a profession, but as something that comes ‘from the heart’. This is the reason that he has never concerned himself very much about the fate of his compositions. As a result, some have been lost, others have been scattered all over the world, and only a few have been published. However, his music has been played by the world’s greatest performers, including Artur Rubinstein and Roger Wagner with his Master Chorale. Maciejewski’s opus magnum is the monumental, 135-minute long Requiem which he dedicated to the victims of human ignorance, wars and tyrants’ prisons. He worked on the composition from 1945 to 1959 in Sweden, Scotland and the United States. The Requiem was premiered under the baton of the composer on 20th September 1960 at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw, as part of the International Contemporary Music Festival ‘Warsaw Autumn’.
Aghast the enormity of human suffering and the sea of blood spilled during the years of World War II, towards its end I decided to compose a monumental work which could help impress on human memory the tragic absurdity of wars. The „Requiem” is dedicated to the victims of human ignorance and, in the first place, to the memory of those who have fallen in every war ever fought of who have suffered in tyrans’ prisons. The style of the „Requiem” and the musical means employed are closely related to the universally human character of the work written with a view to appealing to as large a number of listeners as possible [...]. I never tried to search for new, experimental tricks in music, those disputable achievements of the avant-garde that only a narrow audience can really understand. Roman Maciejewski, ‘Warsaw Autumn’ Festival 1960
“The composition is based on the assumption that it must be as faithful as possible a musical interpretation of the word and a study of the meaning of the thoughts contained in the liturgical text”. The composer spent fifteen years (1945-59) working on the piece which he dedicated to “the victims of every war ever fought and of human ignorance, of tyrants and of the violation of the divine order of Nature”. This is the message written on the title page of the Requiem. Initially, Maciejewski intended to compose all the fixed and changing parts of the missa pro defunctis. However, he managed to get only as far as the Dies irae sequence. Thus the whole comprises Introitus, Kyrie, Graduate, Tractus and the Dies irae, which is traditionally written in different movements and brought to a close with a monumental, polyphonic Amen. The musical means are not defined by any specific, secondarily understood style. The composer derives them from the whole of musical tradition which he transforms where he thinks necessary. This transformation results in a new stylistic quality, in a peculiarly individual
style. “I tried to use a musical language which would bridge the past and the present, and which, thanks to its direct comprehensibility, would contribute to the social role of a musical composition written in the spirit of Peace which unites both art and people of different beliefs”. “The Requiem opens with the deep bass of the tam-tams, the piano, the strings, and a light D minor chord which is the central harmonic axis of the entire work beginning with a prayer recited by the choir and followed by an orchestral prelude (Introductio)... The Introitus is modelled on an ABA pattern, with the A section in two stages. The first stage is a prayer for eternal rest, the second illustrates eternal light... The Kyrie is made up of four stages. The first (A), to which Kyrie eleison is set, is a fourvoice fugue for choir. It is to symbolise the four directions from which prayers to God mercy come. Performed by four soloists, the second stage (B) symbolizes individual prayers. The third stage (C) is a fugue played by the strings... The fugue and the A and B theme fugues, introduced consecutively, merge into a triple fugue which symbolizes mankind’s begging for mercy... The Graduale 5
and Tractus are divided into formally identical sections, each beginning with the funeral-march rhythm, initially produced by the wind instruments, then by the strings and, finally, by the choir a cappella. At this point a soloist starts playing with the choir in the background... The Tractus ends with the slow rhythm of the funeral procession in the spheres of eternal light... The Dies irae is an expression of the anger that incinerates Heaven and Earth. The Quantus tremor expresses fear at the sight of the Judge. In the Tuba mirum, the series of the seven thunders of the Apocalypse begins, with the choir responding quietly. The eerie sound of the trumpets resurrects the dead; there appears a growing number of increasingly long processions. In the first fragment, the choir sings a melody in a mood reminiscent of flagellants’ processions. In the second, the four-voice choir and the rhythmically scanned orchestra depict a procession moving towards a climax which suddenly turns into a scene of total amazement and incredulity. The Liter scriptus is a description of the Last Judgment scene, the Quid sum miser – of a lamentation, and the Rex tremendae — of the Divine Majesty who will save the chosen few from condemnation. The Recordare is another lamentation”. In his interpretation the composer uses long melodic lines which flow out of the initial, short motifs of the flutes and the cellos. In reference to the closing words, there is an exact repetition of the first part of the Dies irae, which is in contrast with the previous lamentation and with the third lamentation – the Ingemisco for solo bass. Musically, it is divided into a recitativo and arioso. The arioso is constructed on an ABA model, with the short B section illustrating the inferno of hell. The following parts depict Heaven and Hell. Against the high strings, harp, celesta and piano, a soprano aria, Inter oves, is heard. The Confutatis is meant to be a picture of Hell and hopelessness. The tension builds up in three stages to reach the climax which three times breaks under the Heaven 6
theme motif (French horn). Now the music is back to heavenly peace. The Oro suplex is a prayer for an end to the life of hardships. The Lacrimosa depicts a long procession of women crying over the fate of their husbands, sons and brothers who have died in wars or have been imprisoned. “Their mournful singing is getting increasingly loud to reach a climax. At this point, the Dies irae theme recurs in all voices. As the female choir gets quieter, the basses come in. The gradual introduction of rising voices, with the intervals getting increasingly long, are the preparation for the theme of the resurrection of men who will be tried for their wrongdoings. The next part pictures an attempt to show mercy to Man. Again we can hear the tam-tams, the piano and the strings as well as the light D minor chord which opened the work and which now brings it to a close, thus spanning it. The entire work ends with a polyphony of the eight-part Amen which rises from piano to fortissimo to the upper registers, finally reaching the full range in the choir and orchestra. The Requiem is crowned with a D major chord full of brightness, strength and hope”. Wiesław Lisecki (Quotations were extracted from the commentary given by the composer to the recording of the Warsaw premiere)
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PERFORMANCES 20th September 1960 during the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ Contemporary Music Festival (1st part of the composition), National Philharmonic Concert Hall in Warsaw Performers: Halina Lukomska – soprano, Krystyna Szostek-Radkowa – mezzosoprano (alto part), Kazimierz Pustelak – tenor, Edward Pawlak – bass and Cracow Polish Radio Orchestra and Choir conducted by Roman Maciejewski, choirmasters: Tadeusz Dobrzański and Alojzy Kluczniok 1st November 1975, Los Angeles, Music Center, Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Performers: Lynn Cole Adcock – soprano, Christina Krooskos – contralto, John Guarnieri – tenor, Harold Enns – bassbaritone and Los Angeles Master Chorale and Sinfonia Orchestra conducted by Roger Wagner 3rd December 1980, Göteborg, Konsert Huset Performers: Anita Soldh – soprano, Birgitta Kallenberg – alto, Louis Devos – tenor, Curt Appelgren – bass and Göteborgs Symfoniker conducted by Roger Wagner 31st August 1990, Warsaw, National Philharmonic Performers: Zdzisława Donat – soprano, Jadwiga Rappe – alto, Jerzy Knetig – tenor, Janusz Niziołek – bass and National Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and Choir conducted by Lars Benstorp 2nd September 1990, Wrocław, Wratislavia Cantans Festival, performers as above Large parts of Requiem have been employed in the ballet Dies irae, in Emil Wesołowski’s staging and choreography, premiered on 25th May 1991 in Warsaw Grand Theatre
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4th February 2010, London, Westminster Cathedral Performers: Iwona Hossa – soprano, Agnieszka Rehlis – mezzo-soprano, Aleš Briscein – tenor, Tomasz Konieczny – bass, BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michał Dworzyński RECORDINGS LP, Polskie Nagrania 1989, SX 2771-73 Performers: Zdzisława Donat, Jadwiga Rappe, Jerzy Knetig, Janusz Niziołek, National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir conducted by Tadeusz Strugała, choirmaster: Henryk Wojnarowski CD, Polskie Nagrania 1989, PN CD 039 (two discs), performers as above (the same recording) CD, Adam Mickiewicz Institute 2009, (two discs), performers as above (the same recording) The 1960 recording of the Cracow Polish Radio Orchestra and Choir (the same performers as those taking part in the work’s premiere), Polish Radio’s recording Radio Göteborg’s recording with the following performers: Anita Soldh – soprano, Birgitta Kallenberg – alto, Louis Devos – tenor, Curt Appelgren – bass and Göteborgs Symfoniker conducted by Roger Wagner FILM A documentary film Requiem directed by Stefan Szlachtycz (duration 63’). Nomination for the MIDEM ‘92 Award in Cannes, in the category of films devoted to classical music
PRESS REVIEWS “The audience response would seem to indicate that the affair was a smashing success. [...] As a composer, Mr Maciejewski (65) is a rugged individualist who apparently spurns musical labels, ‘schools’ and cults. His conceptions are grandiose and spacious and [Requiem] is permanent with sharp modal contrasts and stirring climaxes. He writes «from the heart» [...] he shuns all experimental tricks and cliches. [....] Yet, the man makes music that has instant listener appeal, pulsates with vitality, is intensely dramatic. [...] Overall, this is a work of which the leading recording companies should take note. Hopefully, it will one day be disced”. TIDINGS, November 7, 1975
“This massive work is dedicated to the victims of human ignorance. [...] The score is marked by savage power and strong staccato accents [...] to pass into interludes of great lyric beauty and searching intensity the next. The mounting excitement of the dramatic line is constantly reflected in the colors and variegated textures of the music”. MUSICAL JOURNAL, December 1975
”Roman Maciejewski [...] must be many things: a philosopher, a loner, a conductor, a lovable eccentric, an iconoclast, and, oh yes, a composer. [...] His musical «piece de resistance» is a sprawling, high powered, lush and lavish, Missa pro Defunctis. Roger Wagner marshalled the Maciejewski’s Requiem at the Dorothy 15 Chandler Pavilion Saturday night. [...] When the climatic Amen chorus finally subsided — and Wagner engulfed the frail composer in a bear hug, no one was sitting. [...] One has to admire the composer’s courage and persistence in attacking so enormous a challenge. One would have to harbor a heart of ice not to notice his ethereal lyric flights,
his splashily effective climaxes or his contrapuntal flair”. LOS ANGELES TIMES, November 3, 1975
“...I think that the secret of the Requiem’s power lies in the peculiar interweaving – a kind of synthesis – of seemingly eclectic and rich shades tonal substance with the spiritual tradition of the requiem. The power of that tradition transforms itself into the power of the tonal substance in a way that only the composer understands. It is after all a religious work permeated with the spirit of true faith... Roman Maciejewski constructs his work on the basis of the concept and form of the symphonic/romantic requiem, the pattern developed by Mozart. This is the reason that the Polish composer’s Requiem ranks among the greatest in the chain of funeral masses; Mozart--Berlioz-Verdi-LisztBrahms-Dvořak-Fauré-Palester-Penderecki... It is a romantic requiem despite its musical substance which seems to be more universal... It has a monumental quality (both of time and space); however there is also concision, emotional restraint, a touch of (archaic?) roughness in it; the strong dramatic component, the tensions, eruptions, explosions and climaxes, especially in the Dies irae, are supplemented with lyricism. It also has a fair amount of musical symbolism and a unique illustrative quality which stem from tradition... The dialectic is very distinct: unrest and peace, agitation and calm, anxiety/fear and trust/hope... Its eschatological symbolism is true and great”. Bohdan Pociej, RUCH MUZYCZNY, March 11th, 1990
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PRESS REVIEWS “...The nucleus of this powerful, mourning singing is the untamed energy of the sound world which, by its very nature, turns the mass for the dead into a confession of faith in life. The confession is not only powerful and intense but also extremely optimistic. This foundation of strong vitality confirms the composer’s belief that the devil’s wicked schemes here on earth have their origins in ignorance, that is, in something which is superficial and which, at least theoretically, can be changed. Therefore the foundation is essentially optimistic. Whether or not we accept this belief, the composer’s musical interpretation is by no means superficial... I would stress above all the extremely concentrated, raw and pure power of this language... the grandeur and daring of the concept... Roman Maciejewski’s mass for the dead is a superb work which does more than justice to the tradition which Mozart started with his Requiem, and which I thought had long since expired...” Runar Mangs, DAGENS NYHETER, December 8th, 1980
“I think the work is fascinating. The piece is written in a universal style. In it, we find every formal, verbal, stylistic, linguistic achievement – from Bach and Handel to Ravel, Stravinsky, and even the contemporary avant-garde, but it is all melted in the crucible of his own creative personality in the lengthy process of a gigantic work. [...] There are very few compositions that capture me so. The music is actually simple and almost naive. Just like for children, or like the greatest”. Henryk Czyż, „Pamiętam jak dziś” („I remember like today”), Warsaw 1991
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“... despair does not dominate in this funeral mass, there is more tangible hope, especially in the finale. The piece is characterised by clarity of narration in the Hollywood style, lightness of orchestral texture and more of a meditative than religious tone. Both of the BBC choirs performed their tasks excellently. They were supported by the soft sounds of the BBC Symphony Orchestra. It is a pity, however, that the conductor Michał Dworzyński showed too little contrast in the dramaturgy of the piece…” Jacek Marczyński, RZECZPOSPOLITA, February 6th, 2010
ORATIO (choir, orchestra) INTRODUCTIO (orchestra) INTROITUS: Requiem aeternam (choir, orchestra) Psalmus. Te decet hymnus (bass solo, orchestra) Requiem aeternam (choir, orchestra) KYRIE: Kyrie eleison. Fugue (choir, orchestra) Christe eleison (soloists, choir, orchestra) Kyrie eleison, Christe eleison. Triple fugue (choir, orchestra) GRADUALE (bass solo, choir, orchestra) TRACTUS (tenor solo, choir, orchestra) DIES IRAE: Dies irae (choir, orchestra) Quantus tremor (choir, orchestra) Tuba mirum (choir, orchestra) Mors stupebit (choir, orchestra) Liber scriptus (choir, orchestra) Quid sum miser. Lamentatio I (tenor solo, orchestra) Rex tremendae (choir, tenor solo, orchestra) Recordare. Lamentatio II (alto solo, orchestra) Dies irae (choir, orchestra) Ingemisco. Lamentatio III (bass solo, orchestra) Inter oves (soprano solo, orchestra) Confutatis (choir, orchestra) Oro supplex. Lamentatio IV (soprano solo, orchestra) Lacrimosa (women’s choir, soprano and alto solo, orchestra) Iudicandus (choir, orchestra) Pie Iesu. Oratio (choir, orchestra) Amen (soloists, choir, orchestra) ORCHESTRA: flauto piccolo 2 flauti grandi (2. muta in flauto piccolo) flauto in sol (muta in flauto grande e flauto piccolo) 3 oboi corno inglese clarinetto in mi (muta in cl in si ) 2 clarinetti in si clarinetto basso in si (muta in cl in si )
3 fagotti contrafagotto 4 corni in fa 4 trombe in do 3 tromboni 2 tube in fa timpani triangolo piatti gran cassa tamburino tamburo con corde tamburo senza corde
tam-tam piccolo tam-tam grande castagnette frusta xilofono celesta
violini I violini II viole violoncelli contrabassi duration: ca 135’
2 arpe 2 pianoforti organo solisti: soprano, alto, tenore, basso coro misto
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