Tyniec Chamber Music Recitals
Sunday, July 20, 2025, 4:00 PM
Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec
ul. Benedyktyńska 37
Tyniec used to be a day’s journey from Kraków, today we reach it in less than an...
The backdrop for the Tyniec Chamber Recitals is spirituality, meditative silence and the history of the Benedictine abbey in Tyniec, which dates back to the 11th century and gains a symbolic dimension due to the 1000th anniversary of the coronation of Bolesław Chrobry this year. And the centre stage is taken by music, which refers in a special way to the Polish heritage in this anniversary year. We will hear works by Fryderyk Chopin and Marcel Chyrzyński for cello and piano (Cracow Duo), romantic songs by Maria Szymanowska (tenor Bartosz Gorzkowski and Aleksander Mocek for pianoforte), Organ Preludes by Władysław Żeleński arranged for woodwind instruments (LLLeggiero Woodwind Trio) or compositions by Juliusz Zarębski, a favourite student of Liszt (Zarębski Piano Duo). The programme will be complemented by the Terremoto historical orchestra and the Brass Riders ensemble, which will play music from Polish films.
6 July 2025, 4pm
Cracow Duo:
Jan Kalinowski – cello
Marek Szlezer – piano
Ludomir Różycki Sonata, Op. 10 for cello and piano
Fryderyk Chopin Introduction and Polonaise brillante in C major, Op. 3
Marcel Chyrzyński Farewell for cello and piano
Aleksander Tansman Fantaisie for cello and piano
20 July 2025, 4pm
Bartosz Gorzkowski – tenor
Aleksander Mocek – pianoforte
Fanny Mendelssohn-Hensel 6 Lieder, Op. 7
Maria Szymanowska 6 Romances
Maria Szymanowska Tu fuis cruel
Clara Schumann 6 Lieder, Op. 13
Clara Schumann 3 Lieder, Op. 12
Clara Schumann Loreley
3 August 2025, 4pm
LLLeggiero Woodwind Trio:
Maksymilian Lipień – oboe
Piotr Lato – clarinet
Damian Lipień – bassoon
Władysław Żeleński Organ Preludes (selection)
Johann Sebastian Bach Das wohltemperierte Klavier (selection)
Jean-Philippe Rameau Vier Stücke
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Divertimento No. 4
Ludwig van Beethoven Trio in C major, Op. 87
17 August 2025, 4pm
Brass Riders:
Tomasz Stolarczyk – trombone
Andrzej Tkaczyk – trombone
Tomasz Gajewski – trombone
Jarosław Jastrzębski – tuba
In programme: Polish film music
22 August 2025, 4pm
Terremoto
Mario Sollazzo – conductor, harpsichord
Jakub Kulawik – trumpet, artistic director
Ana Liz Ojeda – concertmaster
Georg Philipp Telemann Concerto for 3 trumpets in D major TWV 54:D4
Giovanni Alberto Ristori La deposizione della croce di Nostro Signore oratorio
Johann Sebastian Bach Tönet, ihr Pauken! Erschallet, Trompeten! BWV 214
Johann Friedrich Fasch Concerto for 3 trumpets FWV L:D3
31 August 2025, 4pm
Zarębski Piano Duo:
Piotr Różański – piano
Grzegorz Mania – piano
Ignacy Friedman 5 Waltzes, Op. 51
Anna Dobrucka Vicino ma non troppo
Władysław Żeleński Krakowiak, Op. 47 No. 2
Juliusz Zarębski Rêverie, Op. 5 No. 1
Maurycy Moszkowski Aus aller Herren Länder, Op. 23 (selection)
Anna Rocławska-Musiałczyk minimal prelude
Johannes Brahms Waltzes, Op. 52 and 65 (selection)
Maurycy Moszkowski Waltz, Op. 11 No. 2
Maurycy Moszkowski Polonaise, Op. 11 No. 1
Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec
ul. Benedyktyńska 37
Tyniec used to be a day’s journey from Kraków, today we reach it in less than an hour on a bus or on a bike, taking a beautiful cycle path. The charm and tranquillity of the place attract throngs of tourists and pilgrims alike. Amidst this silence and reflective prayer, the monks follow the motto of St Benedict: ora et labora…
Situated on a limestone promontory, the monastery looks more like a mediaeval fortress than a church. Little wonder: right from the start, the Benedictine Abbey in Tyniec doubled as a fortress. It is highly likely that the area was inhabited by the Celts a thousand years before the Order of St Benedict arrived in the place. The first monks came here in the mid-11th century. Tyniec enjoyed plenty of favours from local rulers, many of whom were kings of Poland, and there are many arguments to support the claim that it was a medieval economic power. One of them is the nickname given to the abbot: “the abbot of a hundred villages”.
Although the church received stout fortifications in the 13th century, they could not save it from destruction: it was burnt down when the Tatars invaded the Polish lands. Its heyday came in the 15th and 16th centuries. In later years, the monastery was thoroughly rebuilt, and had the characteristic façade with two towers added. In 1816, that is during the era when Poland was partitioned, the Austrians dissolved the Order, and the Benedictines were forced to leave the Abbey. From that time on Tyniec changed hands many times, falling more and more into ruin. No one seemed to care for its fate until the Archbishop of Kraków, Prince Adam Stefan Sapieha, brought back the Benedictine Order from Belgium in 1939. One final time when the abbey acted as a fortress was in 1945, when much like in Monte Cassino, in southern Italy, which was defended by German forces against the Allies, the monastery likewise was held against the Red Army.
The only road into the Abbey leads through “the castle”, that is the 16th-century building of the abbot’s quarters. In the spacious courtyard behind it, the bygone abbots used to welcome eminent guests. The monastic complex includes a library that until the restoration completed in 2008 used to be known as the Great Ruin. Today it houses the Benedictine Institute of Culture. In its exhibition space, you can admire historical artefacts: fragments of Romanesque and Gothic stonework, and elements of the arcades of the original cloister. The Church of St Peter and St Paul situated within the monastery is a three-aisled basilica with baroque furnishing. Entering, spare a moment to look at the elaborate iron latch in the shape of a fish: one of the symbols of Christ.
St Peter and St Paul’s Church:
- gothic chancel,
- rococo high altar of black marble,
- baroque pulpit in the shape of a boat,
- 16-century murals presenting The Magi.
Recommended
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Wednesday, June 25, 2025, 5:30 PM - Tuesday, March 31, 2026
Wawel Castle on Old Postcards
Friday, June 27, 2025 - Sunday, October 12, 2025
30th Summer Jazz Festival Kraków
Monday, June 30, 2025 - Sunday, September 7, 2025
[CANCELLED] Krakow Book Fair
Friday, July 11, 2025 - Sunday, July 13, 2025
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