A group of four to six young Polish musicians, Barque Ensemble was founded in Łódź in 2019 and is equally drawn to Telemann and to “forgotten masters”, whether German or, more unusually, Irish. Their next appearance is on 28 August at the Innsbrucker Festwochen der Alten Musik in Innsbruck. 
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It was a mild early afternoon in June in an inner courtyard in Potsdam. After an hour of chamber music performed in the foyer of the Nikolaisaal, four members of the young Polish Barque Ensemble—Justyna Wójcikowska, Anna Cierpisz-Szpot, Kacper Szpot, and Radosław Orawski—talk about the origins of their ensemble, the spectacular growth of early music in Poland, their fondness for “forgotten masters,” as well as their repertoire research, interdisciplinary projects, and the musical rapport they fully intend to nurture for many years to come.
What brought you together to form Barque Ensemble in 2019?
Barque Ensemble: We met at the Łódź Academy of Music, where we played chamber music together under the direction of Ewa Mrowca, a renowned harpsichordist. Kacper [Szpot] joined us later. At first, we simply made music together for the pleasure of it. During the pandemic, we made a few recordings, and we also helped one another with our master’s recitals. Then came the idea of actually performing in public. What brings us together remains, above all, the pleasure of spending time together and making music. With Barque Ensemble, we can develop our own vision of interpretation. When we play in other ensembles, we necessarily work within the artistic vision of their directors. Here, we build that vision among ourselves. And ultimately, perhaps making music together is the best way to enjoy one another’s company!
Is it still unusual to specialize in early music in Poland? Compared with England, France, or the Netherlands, the genre seems to have taken longer to establish itself in the country’s musical life.
B. E.: The early music scene is developing very rapidly in Poland today. We have also gone abroad to study through the Erasmus programme, and we bring back the experience we gained there. But the practice of early music is now very well established in our country. In particular, we work with three permanent orchestras specializing in this repertoire. When we talk about this with colleagues from abroad, some are actually surprised to learn that, in Poland, it is possible to make a living playing early music exclusively.
Barque Ensemble is particularly interested in interdisciplinary projects. What kinds of projects have you already undertaken? Do educational concerts also play an important role in your activities?
B. E.: In Łódź, we have given several concerts combining Polish poetry and music. At the Podkarpacie Festival, in south-eastern Poland, we gave a concert devoted to the painter Słońcesław z Żołyni. We also devised a series devoted to English music, interspersed with historical anecdotes. In particular, Kacper recited excerpts from Samuel Pepys’s diary, juxtaposed with texts describing life in Poland during the same period, in the 1660s. We like this “lecture-concert” format, which allows us to introduce our instruments, talk about the music, and place it in context. We offer this type of programme particularly in small towns, where this element of outreach takes on its full significance.
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