Entitled Heavenly Harmonies: Polyphony from the Maestri of the 16th and 17th-Century Polish Royal Court, the concert will feature works by Polish composers Grzegorz Gerwazy Gorczycki (1665–1734), Bartłomiej Pękiel (1633–1670) and Marcin Mielczewski (1600–1651).
The Sixteen, under the baton of Eamonn Dougan, will also perform compositions by Italian masters such as Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina (1525-1594), Giovanni Francesco Anerio (1567-1630), and Asprillio Pacelli (1569-1623), all of whom flourished at the court of Polish King Sigismund III, who reigned from 1587 to 1632.
The concert, which is part of the Eufonie International Music Festival of Central and Eastern Europe, will be repeated in Katowice, southern Poland, on Tuesday.
Earlier this month, The Sixteen performed the same repertoire in London during the Joy & Devotion Festival, which focused exclusively to Polish sacred music.
The Sixteen has championed Polish Baroque music for many years. Its discography includes a 5-CD box with a selection of works by Gorczycki, Pękiel and Mielczewski.
(mk/gs)