Psałterz Poznański: book and CD

Last month I wrote of meeting and spending time with Andrzej Polaszek, a Reformed pastor from Poznań, Poland, during his visit to North America. Last week I received in the mail from Polaszek a booklet containing music and fresh Polish-language texts for one-hundred Genevan Psalms, published in 2017, and a just-published CD containing recordings of 12 Genevan Psalms in Polish. The performing musicians include Andrzej and his wife Agata and three more members of the Polaszek family, along with several others. The instrumentalists play a selection of unusual instruments, some of which have mediaeval and renaissance origins. Among those listed are the romantic lute, Irish bouzouki, Renaissance mandora, hurdy-gurdy, zither, psaltery, alto and tenor rebec, and several different kinds of flutes and flute-related instruments.

The overall result is a remarkable blend of musical styles that communicate the message and feel of each psalm very nicely indeed. Agata Polaszek was responsible for the arrangements and directed the Cithara Sanctorum band's performance. Among the delights of this recording are an extended flute solo in Psalm 10, a lovely vocal blend in Psalms 13 and 14, renditions of Psalms 2 and 10 reminiscent of some of the recent recordings of Ali Ufki's Turkish-language psalms, the persistent drone bass line in several of the psalms, and the use of church bells in Psalm 13. The collection concludes with the memorable Psalm 68, the historic anthem of the French Huguenots, whose latter measures have something of the tonality of a Scottish bagpipe.

Of course, I lack the competence to judge the accuracy or literary quality of the Polish lyrics, but the entire recording is a feast for the ears, whether or not you understand the language. Highly recommended if you can get your hands on it.