The Men’s Orthodox Church Music Ensemble, „Katapetasma”
5 April 2025, 18:00
parafia św. Ap. Filipa i Jakuba w Żorach, ul. Garncarska 16
The Men’s Orthodox Church Music Ensemble, „Katapetasma”, takes its name from the Greek term for the veil that separates the altar area of the church from the rest of the sanctuary. The liturgical role of the veil is to make the most mysterious and sacred place available during the central moments of the services. The ensemble „Katapetasma” similarly exists to reveal the essence of the beauty contained throughout the history of church music. Particularly important repertoire in the ensemble’s activity are works whose musical construction comes from the oldest traditions of Orthodox chant such as Byzantine, Ruthenian and Georgian. These traditions have determined the musical style of the Eastern liturgy throughout all the eras of the Orthodox Church, as evidenced by the monastic melodies of Rus’ existing in both monodic and harmonic forms, which the ensemble considers to be the basis of its concert and liturgical programmes. In addition, a key task of the ensemble is to search for and recreate the Orthodox tradition of services in the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. Members of the choir are active liturgical participants, psalmists, conductors and theologians, treating concert activity as an extension of the musical experience of the liturgy. The ensemble has performed many times at home and abroad, including in Germany, Belgium, Serbia and France, where it has toured several times, covering a total of more than 30 cities. Concerts in France were held as part of prestigious classical music festivals such as: 68 Festival Nuits de la Citadelle in Sisteron, 47 Festival du Vigan, 34 Recontres Musicales Festival International Theodore Gouvy in Hombourg – Haut, Festival Guitres Abbatiale, 28 Festival Musicales de Montsoreau, in addition to the famous concert centre: Chapelle de la Trinite in Lyon. „Katapetasma” is also the musical host of the Festival of Orthodox Church Music of the former Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth „Acclamations” in Radruż. This unprecedented event is organised annually in the local 16th-century St Paraskeva Orthodox Church, together with the Museum of the Borderlands in Lubaczów. It aims to discover and promote the musical heritage of the native Orthodox Church.
The ensemble has a number of television and radio recordings to its credit, as well as a published CD entitled „Jabłeczyński Triptych”, which is an authoritative cross-section of local Orthodox liturgical styles existing for more than 500 years at the Monastery of St Onufry in Jabłeczna. „Katapetasma” furthermore co-created the album „Supraska Codex”, recording works of ancient traditions of Orthodox monody including the famous Supraska Irmologion. The director and initiator of „Katapetasma” is Dr Łukasz Hajduczenia.
Conductor - Łukasz Hajduczenia
An award-winning baritone Lukasz Hajduczenia keeps audiences spellbound with the sheer beauty of his voice and mesmerising interpretations. Born in Toruń, Poland, he is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw, and Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London. Lukasz is a recipient of prizes at international competitions, including the XV Ada Sari International Vocal Arts Competition in Nowy Sącz (III prize), II International Competition for Voice and Piano Duos „Pianovoce” in Moscow (II prize), XIX Kiejstut Bacewicz International Chamber Music Competition in Lodz (special prize). Finalist of 54th Tenor Francisco Viñas International Singing Contest in Barcelona and 1st International Karol Szymanowski Competition in Katowice.
Lukasz took part in the prestigious Georg Solti Accademia di Bel Canto in Italy, where he had an opportunity to work with top-tier singers including Angela Gheorghiu, Richard Bonynge, Dennis O’Neill. On numerous occasions Łukasz appeared in concert with one of the leading Polish singers – Urszula Kryger.
He has given concerts on many Polish and foreign stages, including in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Italy, Spain, Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Belgium, France, Finland and Serbia. As an opera soloist he has created the characters of Orpheus in „Orpheus and Eurydice” by Ch. W. Gluck, Count Almaviva in „Le nozze di Figaro”, Papageno in „Die Zauberflöte” by W. A. Mozart, Marcello in „La Boheme” by G. Puccini, Silvio in „Pagliacci” by R. Leoncavallo, Jontek in „Halka wileńska” by Stanisław Moniuszko, and Aeneas in „Dido and Aeneas” by Henry Purcell and, in addition, 4 characters in the contemporary opera History by Michal Dobrzynski. He is a regular collaborator of the Polish Royal Opera and has also performed at the Warsaw Chamber Opera, and the Grand Theatre, as well as at opera houses in: Szczecin, Białystok, Wrocław and Wiesbaden. Much of his artistic activity includes oratorio and chamber music. He regularly collaborates with the Association of Polish Chamber Musicians. He has a wide repertoire of German, French, English, Polish, Italian, Russian and Ukrainian vocal lyricism. He has been invited to participate in numerous recording projects, the most important of which are song cycles by Joseph Haydn, Maurice Ravel, Stanisław Moniuszko, Władysław Żeleński, Mieczysław Karłowicz and songs by the contemporary composer Dariusz Przybylski. He is the co-author of the CD album: „W. Żeleński, pieśni wszystkie”, honoured with the FRYDERYK 2024 award, in the category „Album of the year, chamber music – vocal”.
Łukasz Hajduczenia is also the initiator and artistic director of the „Katapetasma” Male Orthodox Church Music Ensemble. He is a graduate of the Orthodox Theological Seminary in Warsaw. He is also engaged in scientific and research activities on many issues of Orthodox music. Author of a number of publications and a PhD dissertation defended at the Faculty of Artes Liberales of the University of Warsaw entitled „Musical Form of Orthodox Liturgy”.
Programme:
- Nad Rzekami Babilonu – psalm 136, śpiew diemiestwiennyj Rzeczypospolitej.
- Objęcia ojcowskie – Katyzma poetycja niedzieli o Synu Marnotrawnym, melodia okteochosu.
- Hymnus Poenitencitalis – w języku łacińskim i cerkiewno słowiańskim, Bohohłasnik Poczajowski 1790.
- Pieśń pokutna – Bohohłasnik Poczajowski 1790.
- Stychera Wielkiego Poniedziałku, Irmologion Supraski, 1598 -1601
- Antyfony Wielkiego Piątku, melodie okteochosu, opr. Archimandryta Mateusz Mormy
- Niech się wypełni modlitwa moja – Irmologion Supraski 1598 – 1601
- Teraz siły niebiańskie – G. Lwowski.
- Nad Rzekami Babilonu – psalm 136, śpiew starokijowski, opr. Archimandryta Mateusz Mormyl.
