Folk Love

A double album of The NFM Choir conducted by Agnieszka Franków−Żelazny with works by Polish composers inspired by native folk music. Perfect for folklore lovers.

Year of release: 2014

Publishers: National Forum of Music, CD Accord

Conductor: Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny

Performers: NFM Choir

2014 was the Year of Oskar Kolberg. This extraordinary man, in his famous thirty-three-volume work and rich manuscript archive, left a legacy that other European nations can envy. The aim of his work was to archive the broadly understood culture of the Polish countryside in the 19th century.

This album fits perfectly into the idea of the Kolberg Year. The cycles of songs presented on it were written or arranged by leading Polish composers of the 20th century, inspired by Polish folklore. Regardless of the choice of harmonic means (extremely simple and economical, as in the case of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, or extensive, based on the major-minor system, as in the works of Romuald Twardowski and Juliusz Łuciuk) and textural means, all songs perfectly reflect the character of the native musical tradition.

The NFM Choir, conducted by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny, invites us on a journey around Poland, showing what an extraordinary and diverse cultural heritage we have. The presented works come from the Kurpie region, Wielkopolska, Kashubia, Warmia, Podlasie, Lublin region, Podhale and Silesia.

Prof. Jolanta Szybalska-Matczak