Marshal’s Lenten Concerts in Toruń and Chełmno
This year, the Lenten season in our region is given a special musical setting. Marshal Piotr Całbecki invites you to two free classical music concerts, which will take place this Saturday and Sunday in historic churches in Toruń and Chełmno. The program includes two cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and the world premiere of the Passion oratorio “Gorzkie Żale” by Marcin Zdunik (for two choirs, soloists, and orchestra). Both concerts will be conducted by Adam Banaszak. Admission is free.
The audience will hear Bach’s “Himmelskönig, sei willkommen” (BWV 182) and “Actus tragicus” (BWV 106). The former was composed for Palm Sunday, while the latter is one of Bach’s earliest, most highly regarded, and most moving sacred cantatas. Marcin Zdunik’s “Gorzkie Żale” is a monumental work inspired by Bach, composed in 2025.
– Gorzkie Żale is one of the most moving devotions in the liturgical calendar of the Catholic Church. The mournful, lamenting character of the text opens up endless possibilities for translating these strong and profound emotions into the language of music. The piece refers to the centuries-old, beautiful tradition of setting liturgical texts in an oratorio style, using a rich performing ensemble – says the composer, who is also an acclaimed cellist and chamber musician. The Polish-language text of Gorzkie Żale is interwoven with the Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross, traditionally sung in Latin.
When and where
- Chełmno – Saturday, March 28, 5:00 p.m., Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Toruń – Sunday, March 29, 5:00 p.m., Academic Church of the Holy Spirit
Performers
- Adam Banaszak – conductor
Soloists:
- Aleksandra Poniszowska – soprano
- Agnieszka Bochenek-Osiecka – soprano
- Milena Joszko – alto
- Izabella Kopiec – alto
- Marek Anton – tenor
- Bogusław Kowalski – tenor
- Remigiusz Nowak – bass
Instrumentalists:
- Marcin Markowicz – violin
- Katarzyna Duda – violin
- Katarzyna Budnik – viola
- Marcin Zdunik – cello
- Marianna Bednarska – vibraphone
- Camerata Silesia (conducted by Anna Szostak)
- Musicians of the Toruń Symphony Orchestra
- Artur Bocheński – introduction
Department of Promotion
and Press Office of the Marshal’s Office
March 26, 2026