|
||
|
||
| Polish Culture |
|
|
Music
POLISH JAZZRootsThe jazz movement in Poland has a very long tradition. It is, however, impossible to precisely identify a date, an event or even a series of artistic facts that were the origin of this movement. Before the Second World War, bands playing in restaurants and bars of Warsaw, Krakow or Poznan had "jazz" in their repertoire. This was for example the music of George Gershwin or of the authors of Broadway musicals of the era of swing, such as Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Their compositions were very fashionable all around Europe at that time, just as was the swing. After the war, the initial period of fascination with jazz music was quickly suppressed by the communist authorities. The next stage in the history of Polish jazz was called "the catacomb period" because during that period, jazz was played unofficially as an underground music in private houses. It was only the period of the political "thaw" after 1955 that brought freedom also in the field of art. It was the beginning of the development of an authentic jazz movement in Poland. Jazz festivals in Sopot were organised (in 1956 and 1957). They were the origin of the tradition of the WARSAW JAZZ JAMBOREE FESTIVAL organised in later years. JAZZ JAMBOREE is now one of the oldest such events in Europe.
Pillars of jazz from over the VistulaThe jazz played during the early Polish festivals in the 1950's was improvised, based on well known standards, and following all the rules of this music. Young enthusiasts were, however, mainly amateurs. Thus in comparison with American or even European musicians the standard of performing jazz in Poland was relatively low. During the 1950's, a few jazz bands were created, including: MELOMANI / Music Lovers of Jerzy "Dudus" Matuszkiewicz, SEKSTET / Sextet of Krzysztof Komeda, JAZZ BELIEVERS of Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, and NEW ORLEANS STOMPERS, who played traditional jazz. During the period between 1956 and 1960, the talents of musicians who create and perform until today emerged and developed. These musicians have clearly influenced the activities of the next generations of Polish jazzmen. These are: Jerzy "Dudus" Matuszkiewicz (born 1928) - composer and saxophonist, creator of bands such as MELOMANII, TRADITIONAL JAZZ MAKERS, POLISH ALL STARS; during the 1960's, he devoted himself almost solely to composing. He wrote the soundtracks of over 200 films; he is still active as a musician and he appears occasionally on the Polish musical scene. Krzysztof "Komeda" Trzcinski (1931-1969) - composer and pianist; creator of bands such as SEKSTET, TRIO, KWINTET / Quintet; composer of the soundtracks for a number of films (among others DO WIDZENIA DO JUTRA / SEE YOU TOMORROW directed by Janusz Morgenstern, NIEWINNI CZARODZIEJE / INNOCENT WIZARDS directed by Andrzej Wajda, NOZ W WODZIE / KNIFE IN THE WATER and ROSEMARY'S BABY directed by Roman Polanski). In 1965, Komeda's KWINTET recorded an album titled "ASTIGMATIC". This record is considered to be the most outstanding achievement in the history of Polish jazz. The following musicians were, among others, members of bands led by Krzysztof Komeda: Zbigniew Namyslowski, Michal Urbaniak, Tomasz Stanko, and Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski. All these musicians were to become leaders of bands and of stylistic streams of Polish jazz. During the last few years we have been witnessing a renaissance of the compositions of Komeda. His expression is to a lesser extent a result of purely jazz style timing (a pulse typical only to this style of music) but it is replaced by lyricism and a free (variable) treatment of time during the course of compositions. The above relates mainly to three compositions from the "ASTIGMATIC" record ASTIGMATIC, SVANTETIC, KATTORNA. Krzysztof Komeda, although he was never a virtuoso pianist, is still considered the most outstanding Polish artist in this field of music. Tomasz Stanko (born 1942) - composer and trumpeter; during the 1960's, he was a member of the JAZZ DARINGS quartet, and of Krzysztof Komeda's KWINTET; he also created his own bands, among them was the KWINTET / QUINTET (including saxophonist and violinist Zbigniew Seifert and saxophonist Janusz Muniak). He composed various music from solo, through quartets, quintets, even compositions for orchestras (e.g. for the Polish Radio Jazz Studio). He is considered to be a representative of the free jazz stream, although there have always been (and are quite distinct in his present works) traces of both world-wide standards and Polish themes in his music, themes taken from compositions of Krzysztof Komeda or inspired by Witkacy's theatre. In the creations of Tomasz Stanko, the following elements are important: an open form of composition which allows for changing dramaturgy, depending on band members and on circumstances. This leaves a substantial margin of freedom in the reception of his performances (this artist is never "literal" or "obvious" in his creation). The sound of his instrument is immediately recognisable, hoarse, highly emotional and sometimes it is an echo of a human voice (a cry, a whisper). Tomasz Stanko is the greatest living (and still extremely active) Polish jazz musician. Zbigniew Namyslowski (born 1939) - composer and saxophonist, also flutist, violoncellist and trombonist; during his early days, he was a member of bands led by other musicians (in 1950's these were: MODERN DIXIELANDERS, MODERN COMBO, POLISH ALL STARS, NEW ORLEANS STOMPERS); during the period 1960-63 he was a member of THE WRECKERS. Later he began to create his own bands, in most cases quartets and quintets. Since the 1960's, almost all the most distinguished Polish jazz musicians have been members of his bands, including: Wlodzimierz Gulgowski (piano), Michal Urbaniak (tenor saxophone), Czeslaw Bartkowski (percussion), Janusz Stefanski (percussion), Wladyslaw Sendecki (piano), Slawomir Kulpowicz (piano), Tomasz Szukalski (tenor saxophone), and Krzysztof Scieranski (electric bass). Zbigniew Namyslowski has become a distinguished mentor of young musicians. In the field of composition, Namyslowski has created his own unique and easily recognisable language. The comprehension achieved during concerts required, however, hard work during rehearsals. The harmonic language of Namyslowski faces musicians with numerous challenges that go beyond a standard understanding of jazz. The following are some of the more important records of Zbigniew Namyslowski: "LOLA" (1964), "WINOBRANIE" / "Vintage" (1973), "KUJAVIAK GOES FUNKY" (1975), "ZBIGNIEW NAMYSLOWSKI" (1977), "JASMIN LADY" (1978), "FUTURE TALK" (1979), "AIR CONDITION" (1981), "WITHOUT A TALK" (1991), "CZY TO BLUES CY NIE BLUES" / "Is this blues or is this not blues" (1997), "DANCES" (1997), "MOZART GOES JAZZ" (1999). Henryk Majewski (born 1936) - trumpeter and composer; one of the unquestionable leaders of Polish jazz in its traditional, dixieland style. He co-operated with the New Orleans Stompers. In 1965 he created OLD TIMERS, the longest existing and probably the most distinguished Polish band performing traditional jazz. During the period 1967-1969, OLD TIMERS travelled widely around Europe. Among their other activities, they accompanied world famous soloists such as Albert Nicholas, Sandy Brown or Wild Bill Davison. For many years Henryk Majewski has been managing a number of projects at the same time. He was the co-founder of the STODOLA Big-band (1968-73); he was the originator of the idea and the founder of the SWING SESSION "SUPERBAND" (as it was called); he was the founder of countless small formations (duets, trios) created for individual recording sessions or concerts. He is also an indefatigable jazz activist and teacher. Some of his more important records are: "NEW ORLEANS STOMPERS" (1964), "OLD TIMERS WITH SANDY BROWN" (1968), "LET`S SWING AGAIN" (1971 with Stodola Bigband), "TRIBUTE TO ARMSTRONG" (1972), "SWING SESSION", "OLD TIMERS" (1981). Michal Urbaniak (born 1946) - he plays tenor saxophone and violin, he is a composer and he co-operated with JAZZ ROCKERS (1961), THE WRECKERS (during their 1961 USA tour and their performance during NEWPORT JAZZ FESTIVAL), and the Krzysztof Komeda KWINTET (1962-1964). Since 1969 he has been leading his own bands: GRUPA MICHALA URBANIAKA / MICHAL URBANIAK GROUP (1969-1972), MICHAL URBANIAK CONSTELLATION (1973), THE MICHAL URBANIAK FUSION (1975-1980), and other bands. He is probably the best internationally known Polish jazz musician. His career in the USA began in 1973 when Columbia published his records, and it has been continuing with varying fortune. The beginning of the 1990's was the culminating point in his career. The name of Michal Urbaniak was then mentioned numerous times in various categories of annual questionnaire (survey) of critics of the prestigious music monthly "Down Beat". In his compositions, Michal Urbaniak attempts to integrate the latest trends of world jazz with elements of his personal style. He brings together the original, easily recognisable sound of his instrument with current musical conventions. Consequently, musicians representing the styles of fusion, soul-jazz, funk or rap appear in his recordings of the "American period". When searching for new talents within the New York community, Urbaniak promoted numerous musicians. These were, among others, Marcus Miller, Kenny Kirkland and John Abercrombie. Regardless of his own musical activity Michal Urbaniak co-operated with celebrated musicians such as George Benson, Joe Zawinul, Stephanne Grappelli or Miles Davis. Some of his more important records are: "PARATYPHUS B" (1970), "SUPER CONSTELLATION" (1973), "FUSION" (1974), "ATMA" (1974), "FUTURE TALK" (1979), "TAKE GOOD CARE OF MY HEART" (1984), "SONGS FOR POLAND" (1989), "LIVE IN NEW YORK" (1991), "MANHATTAN MAN" (1992), "URBANATOR" (1995), and "URBANAX" (1998). Adam Makowicz (born 1940) - he is a composer and a pianist; he performed with JAZZ DARINGS band (1962), Andrzej Kurylewicz's KWARTET / Quartet (1963-1973), with Zbigniew Namyslowski's band (since 1974), with MICHAL URBANIAK GROUP, and with Tomasz Stanko trio. Since 1974 he has been performing mainly as a soloist. He is a virtuoso pianist, with his own personal style, both in his own compositions and in piano interpretations of works of other composers. His style is a combination of American tradition originated by Tatum and George Gershwin, with elements of European music referring to the romantic tradition. Makowicz has devoted the last decade to his own interpretations of classical standards written by composers such as Jerome Kern, Irving Berlin, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. His recitals are addressed to a large extent to audiences of philharmonics. The musician himself currently describes his music as closer to classical music than to jazz. This trend incorporates his compositions written for piano and for small bands. His more important records include: "NEWBORN LIGHT" (1972, with Urszula Dudziak), "UNIT" (1975, with Tomasz Stanko), "WINTER FLOWERS" (1977), "ADAM" (1978), "THE NAME IS MAKOWICZ" (1988), "MAKOWICZ PLAYS GERSHWIN" (1993), and "TRIBUTE TO ART TATUM" (1997). Jan "Ptaszyn" Wroblewski (born 1936) - he is a composer and an arranger, he plays tenor saxophone; his debut took place in 1956 as he joined the Krzysztof Komeda SEKSTET / Sextet. Later he was a member of the INTERNATIONAL NEWPORT JAZZ BAND (USA, 1958), JAZZ BELIEVERS (1958-1959), Andrzej Kurylewicz KWINTET / Quintet (1960-1961). The main bands which he led are: POLISH JAZZ QUARTET (1963-1966), MAINSTREAM (1973-1977), PTASZYN WROBLEWSKI KWARTET / Quartet (1978-1984), MADE IN POLAND (since 1992). During the period 1968-1978 he was the director of the Polish Radio Jazz Studio. He is one of the leaders of the Polish jazz scene, the originator of numerous unconventional projects, an animator and promoter of jazz in Poland. In his compositions he refers to the main trend of world jazz - straight ahead jazz, mainstream - although in his longer compositions WARIANT WARSZAWSKI / THE WARSAW VARIANT, MAESTOSO COMBINATO, CZYTANKI NA ORKIESTRE / READERS FOR ORCHESTRA he represents a style which is a continuation of experience of the so called Third Stream. He is a distinguished arranger, he specialises in writing scores for large big-band groups or for combined band-symphonic groups. His more important records include: "JAZZ BELIEVERS" (1958), "JAZZ OUTSIDERS" (1961), "POLISH JAZZ QUARTET", "POLISH RADIO JAZZ STUDIO" (1969), "MAINSTREAM" (1977), "NEW PRESENTATION" (1983), and "MADE IN POLAND" (1993).
Stylistics of Polish jazzIn Poland, similar to other countries with established jazz scenes, different styles of jazz are being performed. Simplifying the matters to some extent, we can identify three main streams of jazz: traditional jazz, modern jazz and avant-garde jazz. Traditional jazz in pre-war Poland was performed among others by swing orchestras of Kazimierz Turewicz, Jerzy Petersburski, Zygmunt Karasinski, Henryk Gold, and Ada Rosner. Truly traditional bands, bands that consciously styled dixieland, appeared in Poland after the Second World War. MUSIC LOVERS, a band created in the 1950's by Jerzy "Dudus" Matuszkiewicz, performed in two versions, traditional and modern. However, true dixieland was played in Poland only after the appearance of bands such as NEW ORLEANS STOMPERS (from 1957), ZYGMUNT WICHARY BAND (from 1954), MODERN DIXIELANDERS (from 1956), and later JAZZ BAND BALL (from 1964), OLD TIMERS (from 1965), RAGTIME JAZZ BAND (from 1966), HIGH SOCIETY (from 1969), OLD METROPOLITAN BAND (from 1970), and HAGAW (from 1966). Dixieland was at the peak of its popularity in Poland in the 1960's and 1970's. Currently it is at the margin of the jazz scene. However, this situation may change as attempts are being made to reactivate some initiatives related to the traditional jazz stream. THE TRADITIONAL JAZZ FESTIVAL IN ILAWA gathers a larger group of listeners and viewers every year. The Prize of Zlota Tarka is awarded during this festival. The following are the leading musicians of the traditional jazz stream in Poland: Henryk Majewski (trumpet), Wieslaw Eyssmont (trumpet), Bohdan Styczynski (cornet), Wladyslaw Dobrowolski (trumpet), Julian Kurzawa (trumpet), Jan Kudyk (trumpet), Mieczyslaw Mazur (piano), Zygmunt Wichary (piano), Jan Boba (piano), Zbigniew Zabieglinski (clarinet), Wojciech Kaminski (piano), Andrzej Jagodzinski (piano), Tadeusz Fedorowski (percussion), Janusz Kozlowski (contrabass). According to the latest ranking list published by the magazine "Jazz Forum" the following bands lead the category of "traditional bands": JAZZ BAND BALL ORCHESTRA, SAMI SWOI / Just Our Own Folks, PROWIZORKA JAZZ BAND and VISTULA RIVER BRASS BAND, as well as the veterans of this stream: OLD TIMERS and OLD METROPOLITAN BAND. Modern jazz (straight ahead jazz, mainstream jazz) in its pure form is the basis for the creation of all jazz musicians. Standard, blues, improvisation, formal and harmonic rules are all observed by jazzmen, regardless of the stylistics which are preferred individually by each of them. It is a platform for understanding one another, especially during jam sessions of musicians from various countries. The tradition of Polish modern jazz takes its origin directly from relating to the American classics. During the 1950's and 1960's, Polish musicians reached for records of Charlie Parker and Dizzie Gillespie, of hard-bop quintets (The Jazz Messengers and Julian Cannonball Adderley), as well as for the records of bands led by Miles Davis and John Coltrane. It would be difficult to overestimate the influence of the radio programmes of Willis Conover, broadcasted by the Voice of America, on the development of jazz in Poland. The main promoters of modern jazz during the 1950's were Andrzej Trzaskowski, Jan Ptaszyn Wroblewski, Andrzej Kurylewicz, and Jerzy Milian. Today modern jazz is promoted by Michal Urbaniak, Zbigniew Namyslowski, Wojciech Karolak, and Wlodzimierz Nahorny. Back in the 1950's and 1960's, when there were still relatively few jazz musicians in Poland (there was especially a shortage of musicians playing percussion and contrabass to create rhythmic sections - the basis of existence for any jazz formation), individual musicians could at the same time be members of a number of bands. Sometimes these bands played music of completely different stylistics. Percussion players such as Andrzej Dabrowski, Czeslaw Bartkowski, Janusz Stefanski and Tadeusz Fedorowski were battled for by famous leaders of jazz bands. During jazz festivals, they often performed in more than one band. The same applied to contrabass players such as Roman Dylag, Janusz Kozlowski, Pawel Jarzebski, Bronislaw Suchanek and Jacek Bednarek. Today the group of outstanding musicians who lead the main stream of modern jazz is relatively numerous. The following bands can be considered as representing modern jazz in Poland: TOMASZ STANKO QUARTET, TOMASZ STANKO SEXTET, KWINTET PIOTRA WOJTASIKA / Piotr Wojtasik Quintet, KWINTET ZBIGNIEWA NAMYSLOWSKIEGO / Zbigniew Namyslowski Quintet, HIGH BRED JAZZ TRIO, WLODZIMIERZ PAWLIK TRIO, ZESPOL HENRYKA MISKIEWICZA / Henryk Miskiewicz Band, SIMPLE ACOUSTIC TRIO, bands of Jaroslaw Smietana, and bands of Janusz Muniak. A separate group within the stream of modern jazz consists of musicians who perform the so called electric jazz or jazz fusion, which was originated by the first American records of Michal Urbaniak. Bands such as WALK AWAY, STRING CONNECTION and TRIBUTE TO MILES ORCHESTRA represent this group within Polish jazz. The Avant-Garde jazz is usually associated with the concept of free jazz, which has been known in jazz terminology since the times of the classic records of the creator of this stream - Ornett Coleman. The 1960's in Polish jazz brought about the explosion of experiments. It was certainly the special interest in jazz expressed by classical music artists that contributed to this phenomenon. This was the period of appearance of the so called Third Stream - a particular synthesis of classical music and jazz (especially free jazz). Artists of free jazz played an important role in the process of development of jazz in general. The key historic bands representing this stream include: KWINTET TOMASZA STANKI / Tomasz Stanko Quintet (from the first half of 1970's), KWARTET ZBIGNIEWA SEIFERTA / Zbigniew Seifert Quartet], STANKO-VESALA QUARTET, FORMACJA MUZYKI WSPOLCZESNEJ ANDRZEJA KURYLEWICZA / Andrzej Kurylewicz Contemporary Music Formation, STUDIO JAZZOWE POLSKIEGO RADIA / Polish Radio Jazz Studio, SESJA / Session, TEATR INSTRUMENTALNY [Instrumental Theatre] and KONCERT FIGUR NIEMOZLIWYCH ANDRZEJA MITANA / Andrzej Mitan Concert of Impossible Figures. From among all the musicians representing this style of jazz, Tomasz Stanko is probably the only Polish artist who did appear on the European and world scene with his vision of jazz. The avant-garde stream of Polish jazz is also represented by the following artists: Andrzej Przybielski (trumpet), Helmut Nadolski (contrabass), Michal Zduniak (percussion),Wladyslaw Jagiello (percussion) Wojciech Konikiewicz (composer, keyboard player), Andrzej Biezan (piano), Jan Fryderyk Dobrowolski (piano), Marianna Wroblewska (vocals), Czeslaw Gladkowski (bass), Krzysztof Zgraja (flute), Wlodzimierz Kiniorski (saxophones), Aleksander Korecki (saxophones).
Contemporary yass sceneA whole new chapter in Polish jazz music was started by MILOSC / Love, a band created in Trojmiasto (an aggregate of the three neighbouring towns of Gdansk, Gdynia and Sopot) in April 1988. Ryszard Tymon Tymanski (guitar) is the leader of this group. Together with other young musicians he contests the so called classical stream of Polish jazz. The band describes its music as yass, referring in this way to the original roots of jazz music. Yass is a combination of new wave, free jazz, modern rock, surrealistic instrumental theatre and poetry. Polish yass questions jazz played in Poland so far, it questions especially its creative value. At the beginning of the 1990's, MILOSC had among its members a remarkably talented pianist Leszek Mozdzer, and saxophonists Maciej Sikala and Mikolaj Trzaska. MILOSC began a creative ferment, it gathered a group of believers, it led to the creation of a new stream in Polish jazz. Today this stream gathers at least over ten musicians, it has its own record company (Biodro Records), its own festival ("MUZYKA Z MOZGU" / "Music from the brain"), and a number of clubs of which "Brain" located in Bydgoszcz is the most important. The leading bands of the yass stream are as follows: MILOSC (records: "MILOSC" / "Love", "TANIEC SMOKA" / "Dance of a Dragon", "ASTHMATIC", "ON LIFE AND DEATH", "NOT TWO" - with a famous American trumpeter of the avant-garde stream Lester Bowie); KURY / Hens (record: "P.O.L.O.V.I.R.U.S."); LOSKOT / Din (record: "KONCERT W MOZGU" / "Concert in a Brain"); DUET TRZASKA-SWIETLICKI / Trzaska-Swietlicki Duo (record: "CIERPIENIE I WYPOCZYNEK" / "Suffering and Resting"); ARYTHMIC PERFECTION ("OUT TO LUNCH", "ROZMOWY Z CATEM"); TRYTONY / Tritons (record: "ZARYS MATEMATYKI NIEWINNEJ" / "An Outline of Innocent Mathematics"); MAESTRO TRYTONY / Maestro Tritons (record: "ENOPTRONIA"); DIFFUSION ENSEMBLE (record: "AZURE EXCESS"); TRUPY / Corpses; NIEBIESKI LOTNIK / Blue Pilot. The leading musicians of the yass stream are: Ryszard Tymon Tymanski (guitar), Mikolaj Trzaska (saxophones), Mazzoll (clarinet), Tomasz Gwincinski (guitar) Jacek Olter (percussion), Leszek Mozdzer (piano during the initial period), and Maciej Sikala (saxophones).
Jazz interpretations of Chopin's musicAmongst all the stylistic trends that have influenced Polish jazz in the past and that still influence it today, the most original, truly Polish one (without an equivalent of this scale anywhere in the world) is certainly the "Chopin stream". This stream consists of jazz interpretations of the music of Fryderyk Chopin. It is true that in the 1970's, the NOVI SINGERS group presented jazz interpretations of Chopin's compositions ("NOVI SING CHOPIN", 1971; "CHOPIN UP TO DATE", 1975) but they were only slightly changed, mainly in their transcription. It was not until 1994 when the Polonia Records recording company decided to publish the first album of ANDRZEJ JAGODZINSKI TRIO titled "CHOPIN". This was the beginning of a series of artistic undertakings of several musicians (including vocalists). These activities led to a wider artistic phenomenon. However, there are mixed opinions as to whether the changing of complete and perfect works of Chopin leads only to a loss of value of the originals. Some other critics say that adding features of jazz standard to works of Chopin results in them beginning to lead a whole new life. Certainly jazz interpretations make it possible for compositions of Chopin to reach a new audience. Additionally, improvising "about Chopin" stays in accordance with the creative process of the composer - Chopin himself was a genius of improvisation. There are, however, strong expressions of criticism of the idea of the jazz "processing" of Chopin's music. Its opponents underline that romanticism is an artistic trend of so long ago that a synthesis of music of that time and of contemporary music cannot be historically justified. They also reproach jazzmen who "process" Chopin's music that their motivation is purely mercantile and not artistic in nature. They also accuse these artists of a lack of musical taste. The discussion continues. The course of events however cannot be reversed - more and more records with jazz interpretations of Chopin's music are being published. Even more, the main recipients of these interpretations are classical music lovers, and concerts usually take place at philharmonics or during classical music festivals. The Chopin stream in Polish jazz is represented mainly by Andrzej Jagodzinski, Leszek Mozdzer and Wlodzimierz Nahorny. Since 1994 Andrzej Jagodzinski has been devoting his time to projects on Chopin's music. He creates jazz interpretations of Chopin's etudes, mazurkas, polonaises, waltzes, nocturnes and preludes. In 1999, JAGODZINSKI TRIO - Czeslaw Bartkowski, (percussion), Adam Cegielski (contrabass) - gave concerts in Germany, Austria, USA, Canada, Israel, Mexico, France, Czech Republic, and other countires, mainly for audiences of philharmonics. The band presented its Chopin programme known from its records. Jagodzinski recorded the following records with interpretations of Chopin's music: "CHOPIN" (1994), "CHOPIN - LIVE AT THE NATIONAL PHILHARMONIC" (1997), "ONCE MORE CHOPIN", "METAMORPHOSES" (1999). Leszek Mozdzer treats themes of Chopin's music as one of the many elements of composing. They function in his improvisations. They appear in his works beside salsa, blues or ragtime. Sometimes Mozdzer, following the original works of Chopin, strengthens their climate or adds modern accents (rhythm, harmony) but he saves the most important elements of the originals. Mozdzer recorded the following records with music of Chopin: "CHOPIN IMPRESJE" / "Chopin impressions" (1994), "IMPRESSIONS ON CHOPIN" (1999). Wlodzimierz Nahorny undertakes attempts at achieving a synthesis of classical music and jazz. He recorded a jazz version of MITY / Myths a composition by Karol Szymanowski. His new programme registered on a record titled "FANTAZJA POLSKA" / "Polish Fantasy" (1999) is based on Chopin's FANTAZJA NA TEMATY POLSKICH PIESNI OP.13 / "FANTASY ON POLISH SONGS OP. 13. The record includes also interpretations of some of Chopin's preludes. Other artists whose names should be added to the three above mentioned musicians working on jazz interpretations of Chopin's music are: Adam Makowicz who presents his own interpretations of preludes (registered on a record); Krzysztof Herdzin who published a record tilted "CHOPIN" (the music is presented in hard-bop convention, for which the artist uses the typical jazz quintet sound); Leszek Kulakowski, an author of interpretations of numerous compositions of Chopin for a jazz piano and a string orchestra; Zbigniew Namyslowski who, apart from his Mozart project (Clarinet Quintet A major in interpretation for a jazz band, string quartet and clarinet), prepares his versions of Chopin's compositions; vocalists such as Lora Szafran (record "TYLKO CHOPIN" / "ONLY CHOPIN", 1994); Ewa Bem; Urszula Dudziak; Marek Balata; Dorota Miskiewicz. It seems that the Chopin stream in Polish jazz is a unique phenomenon, not only in the history of jazz in Poland but also internationally. Tomasz Szachowski
CONTEMPORARY POLISH MUSIC Many Themes, Many DimensionsThe term "Polish composers' school" was popularised in the early 1960s mainly by German music critics. This term was coined to name the specific style of Polish music in which the tone of sound is a foundation of the structure of a musical piece. The birth of the "Polish composers' school" was possible as a result of the political détente after Stalin's death which in Poland led to a political crisis in 1956. That was a time of rejecting the personality cult in the sphere of politics, and social realism dogmas in the area of culture. Inauguration of the "Warsaw Autumn" festival of contemporary music in October 1956 also played a significant role in the establishment of the "Polish composers' school". The stage of the "Warsaw Autumn" festival became the site of the first Polish performances of works that make up the canon of contemporary music (including Igor Stravinsky's SPRING FESTIVAL). Warsaw Autumn also become a manifestation of new aesthetic tendencies in Polish music. At first those new tendencies were related to the use of dodecaphonism, and later to the use of a technique called sonorism in Poland which was based on the priority of the tone of sound over all other parameters of a composition. These aesthetics are represented in Polish music mainly by Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) and Krzysztof Penderecki (born 1933) as well as Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki (born 1933) and additionally by Kazimierz Serocki (1922-1981), Tadeusz Baird (1928-1981), Wojciech Kilar (born 1932), Witold Szalonek (born 1927), Boguslaw Schaeffer (born 1929), and Wlodzimierz Kotonski (born 1925).
LutoslawskiThe music of Witold Lutoslawski belongs to the greatest accomplishments of the entire century although a basic and important portion of this music was composed in the latter half of the century, between 1958 - MUZYKA ZALOBNA / FUNERAL MUSIC and 1992 - SYMPHONY NO. 4. In the musical scores of the time the composer created his very characteristic language and individual form of musical beauty as a result of which he was called a "contemporary classic" even during his lifetime. In FUNERAL MUSIC Lutoslawski laid the foundations of twelve-sound harmonics which are technically and aesthetically distant from the achievements of Arnold Schonberg's Vienna school. In GRY WENECKIE / VENETIAN GAMES (1961) he initiated the limited employment of elements of chance referred to as "aleatoric counterpoint". In the STRING QUARTET (1964) he introduced the idea of a form composed of two parts, the first of which is introductory and the second assumes the main responsibility for expression. In the 1980s the composer fully developed his principle of "chain technique" according to which the sound material overlaps between parts or layers of a musical work. Looking at the work of Witold Lutoslawski one may observe how consistently and intensely it grew as an integral whole. From FUNERAL MUSIC Lutoslawski started building his own and original world which was not, however, hermetic and isolated. Lutoslawski found the amazing point where tradition transforms itself into the future, he found the boundary between acceptance of the transgressed tradition and the reserve towards new lands one discovers. Although Lutoslawski was extremely innovative and inventive, he never became radical and avant-garde. He referred to lyricism of Haydn, Mozart, Chopin, and Brahms' as his models, but was very far from traditionalism. Lutoslawski's most important works are four symphonies (1947, 1967, 1983, 1992); pieces for orchestra: CONCERTO FOR ORCHESTRA (1954), FUNERAL MUSIC (1958), VENETIAN GAMES (1961), LIVRE POUR ORCHESTRE (1968), MI-PARTI (1976), NOVELETTE (1979), LANCUCH 3 / CHAIN 3 (1986), INTERLUDIUM (1989); instrumental concertos: CELLO CONCERTO (1970), DOUBLE CONCERTO for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra (1980), PARTITA for violin and orchestra (1988 - version of the partita for violin and piano composed in 1984), LANCUCH 2 / CHAIN 2 - DIALOGUE for violin and orchestra (1985), PIANO CONCERTO (1988); vocal/orchestral works: THREE POEMS BY HENRI MICHAUX for choir and orchestra (1963), PAROLES TISSEES for tenor and chamber orchestra, LES ESPACES DU SOMMEIL for baritone and orchestra (1975), CHANTEFLEURS ET CHANTEFABLES for soprano and orchestra (1990); and chamber pieces: STRING QUARTET (1964), PRELUDES AND FUGUES for 13 string instruments (1972), LANCUCH 1 / CHAIN 1 for chamber orchestra (1983); music for solo instruments: VARIATIONS ON PAGANINI for 2 pianos (1941), SACHERIAN VARIATION for cello solo (1975), EPITATH for oboe and piano (1979), GRAVE - METAMORPHOSES for cello and piano (1984), PARTITA for violin and piano (1984), SUBITO for violin and piano (1992).
PendereckiThe career of Krzysztof Penderecki's music began in the late fifties and early sixties. The composer's inventiveness in treating sound focused first on unorthodox articulation of sound by string instruments, e.g. playing beyond the bridge, tapping the sounding board with the bow rod, i.e. treating string instruments as percussion instruments. At the same time Krzysztof Penderecki developed a technically rich method of using so-called clusters, or sound planes, formed by neighbouring sounds. In this way Penderecki created his own very original and identifiable sound idiom based on the percussion sound of non-percussion instruments and on the expressiveness of rising and internally mobile sound planes wandering in acoustic space. A turning point in the composer's career and musical aesthetics was marked by ST LUKE'S PASSION composed for the WDR radio station in Cologne (1966). This work started a series of Penderecki's great oratorio and cantata religious works and monumental symphonies which referred more and more clearly to the aesthetics of late Romanticism. In the nineties Penderecki's music quite clearly expressed post-modernist aesthetics. Using universal themes and texts fundamental to European culture, Penderecki rejected the attitude of an avant-gardist who experiments with a new language of sound. It has become a popular conviction that Krzysztof Penderecki's music is a summary of the achievements of 20th century music to date - a summary with a broad perspective of the history of music from the medieval choral to the avant-garde and open to the world of western and eastern culture. Krzysztof Penderecki's method is a reinterpretation of tradition. Therefore the composer follows the way of various returns while continuously being aware of the present time. Krzysztof Penderecki's most important works include: TREN - OFIAROM HIROSZIMY / THRENODY - TO THE VICTIMS OF HIROSZIMA (1960), STRING QUARTET NO. 1 (1960), ANACLASIS for strings and percussion (1960), oratorio DIES IRAE to the memory of people murdered in Auschwitz (1967), KOSMOGONIA (1970), religious works: ST LUKE'S PASSION (1965), JUTRZNIA / MORNING PRAYER (1970), MAGNIFICAT (1974), TE DEUM (1980), POLISH REQUIEM (1984), operas: DIABLY Z LOUDUN / THE DEVILS OF LOUDUN (1969), RAJ UTRACONY / PARADISE LOST (1978), CZARNA MASKA / THE BLACK MASK (1986), UBU KROL / KING UBU (1991), works for orchestra, e.g.: II CHRISTMAS SYMPHONY (1980), PASSACAGLIA (1988), ADAGIO (1989), concertos, e.g. for cello, violin; chamber music, e.g. TRIO FOR STRINGS (1991).
GoreckiKrzysztof Penderecki's contemporary, and from the early sixties one of the main actors on the Polish composers' scene, Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki owes his worldwide fame to the commercial success of SYMPHONY NO. 3 - Symphony of Grievous Songs (1976) in the early nineties. A particular period in Gorecki's music is marked by works composed between 1971 AD MATREM and 1980 HARPSICHORD CONCERTO. Only five (besides the two already mentioned) compositions were created: SYMPHONY NO. 2 ("COPERNICAN") for soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra (1972), the famous SYMPHONY NO. 3 ("GRIEVOUS SONGS") for soprano and orchestra, psalm BEATUS VIR (1978) for baritone, choir and orchestra as well as choral works: EUNTES IBANT ET FLEBANT (1973) and AMEN (1974). In the early nineties it was SYMPHONY NO. 3 that became one of the most popular recordings of classical music, owing to commercial British radio stations which played back parts of a new recording of the work with Dawn Upshaw and orchestra conducted by David Zinman. After the SYMPHONY three more works by Gorecki became specific hits on the market - the HARPSICHORD CONCERTO and the first two string quartets - JUZ SIE ZMIERZCHA / IT IS GROWING DARK ALREADY and QUASI UNA FANTASIA. Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki's music caused a reaction of followers of the aesthetic fashion of postmodernism in music. Music lovers in the West became used to American repetitive music as created by Steve Reich and Philip Glass and to its British version by Michael Nyman. The ascetic and persistent repetitiveness of Gorecki's music merged itself in the listeners' perception with their aesthetic habits and opened them up to the extraordinary, different perspective of the Polish composer's works. The perspective was marked by the religious overtone of Gorecki's music which forms a kind of cultural unity with the expressiveness of Arvo Part who builds his new Middle Ages and with the music of John Tavener who builds his new Byzantium and, moreover, with the quasi-religious experience of new age. The folklore quality of Gorecki's music concurred with the popularity of the "music of the world" - the interest in exotic folk traditions regardless of their origin. Gorecki's music satisfied a vogue that goes far beyond the boundaries defined by contemporary music festivals.
The "Polish Composers' School" SyndromeContrary to external symptoms - the change of style in the music of a considerable group of Polish composers and the simultaneous spectacular debuts of very innovative composers seeking new qualities in music - the term "Polish composers' school" should be treated metaphorically rather than literally. Composers considered representatives of this school have a lot in common (mainly the prevalence of tone colour over other components). However, the individual detailed aesthetic and technical solutions they propose are different. Kazimierz Serocki's music is original not only because of the sophisticated tone colour which is often a result of using unusual combinations of instruments and ways in which sound is produced, but also because of the employment of topophony which is the spatial arrangement of groups of instruments on the stage. Tadeusz Baird distinguishes himself in Polish music of the sixties and seventies by the specific type of expression achieved owing to the use of the twelve-sound technique. Baird was called the most outstanding lyrical and romantic composer of the period and admitted he was close to the music of Alban Berg and the aesthetics of Dimitri Shostakovich's late work. Wlodzimierz Kotonski has been faithful to electro-acoustic music since the time of his first composition, i.e. ETIUDY NA JEDNO UDERZENIE W TALERZ / ETUDES FOR ONE STRIKE OF THE CYMBAL (1959), and extended the list of outstanding accomplishments of the genre with such well-known works as: ALEA (1970), SKRZYDLA / WINGS (1973), ANTIPHONAE (1989). Over time he started using the capacity of the computer studio. Electroacoustic music did not, however, dominate the output of its Polish pioneer. The seventies and eighties changed Kotonski's paradigm - he turned to the "romanticising" style and specific euphony. Boguslaw Schaeffer's music occupies a special place in the landscape of Polish music. Schaeffer initiated a number of innovative techniques in Poland , not only in the sphere of sonorism and serialism, but also in topophony, aleatorism, graphic music, happening, collage, instrumental theatre, open forms, conceptualism and works showing the influence of jazz. Schaeffer was a painter, graphic artist, theoretician and critic. In the seventies he began the career of a fashionable and recognised playwright and focused in his plays, to a large extent surrealistic, on themes associated with the meaning of art and the spiritual condition of the artist. Witold Szalonek's LES SONS (1965) for symphony orchestra may be taken for a type of sonorist manifesto to which the composer has largely remained faithful to date. Szalonek's work is dominated by an overbuilt group of wind instruments which are the main protagonists in the score. The assortment of sound effects also includes striking the keys of instruments, speaking through the instrument, using only mouthpieces, and blowing bottles. Even today, a long time since it was considered surprising and amazing, this organised "chaos" of sound still sounds exciting. Witold Szalonek's most important works are: MUTAZIONI for chamber orchestra (1966), QUATTRO MONOLOGHI per oboe solo (1966), IMPROAVISATIONS SONORISTIQUES for clarinet, trombone, cello and piano (1968), 1+1+1+1 PER 1-4 STRUMENTI AD ARCO (1969), MUSICA CONCERTANTE PER VIOLBASSO ED ORCHESTRA (1977), LITTLE B-A-C-H SYMPHONY (1981) and MEDUZY SEN O PEGAZIE / MEDUSA'S DREAM OF PEGASUS (1997). The composing career of Wojciech Kilar also had a very spectacular beginning. His early scores excited listeners with erupting energy, fireworks of vitality, spontaneity of sound, e.g. in the orchestral work RIFF 62 based on a jazz beat. A constructivist work for orchestra and choir of sopranos entitled UPSTAIRS-DOWNSTAIRS (1971) is the target and top achievement in this aesthetics. In 1974 Wojciech Kilar made a violent turn in his music. It is in this period that he composed KRZESANY (1974) for orchestra, BOGURODZICA / MOTHER OF GOD (1975) for choir and orchestra, KOSCIELEC 1909 symphonic poem (1976), EXODUS (1981) for choir and orchestra and PIANO CONCERTO (1997).
BargielskiThe music of Zbigniew Bargielski (born 1937) is a separate case, very picturesque but by principle not illustrative. It is more the graphic than the pictorial colour that is striking. One would want to sense sonorist origins in the sound structure of Bargielski's music but, although sonorist tricks are not absent from the scores of the author of TRIGONALIA (1994) for guitar, accordion, percussion and orchestra, sonorist origins are an illusion. More than in sound mixtures which change like in a kaleidoscope, Bargielski is interested in the colour temperature of selected elements which are treated as focal in the sound palette. His special preferences are: the guitar, accordion, percussion and violin. Zbigniew Bargielski has on many occasions revealed the secret of his compositions - the so-called "centring" technique. A composition contains some centres, for example central sounds or intervals, or centres of rhythm and tone which constitute centres of gravity in a section of form - they are poles around which matter gravitates. The form also develops, as the composer put it, "like a block": a period of musical time is composed of one element. The period of time appears again but reveals two elements. Then three elements appear. They are the same, similar, or modified elements. If variations are used, they are treated in a specific and erroneous way. The form grows therefore like one floor on top of another, like layer on top of another layer which is developed, enriched and thickened more and more. This is a most intriguing, inventive and both aesthetically effective and attractive approach to composition. Particular attention in a description of the composer's works should be given to operas, solo and chamber pieces with the accordion as well as to the CONCERTO FOR PERCUSSION AND ORCHESTRA (1975), string quartets ALPINE (1976), SPRING (1980), MARTWA NATURA Z KRZYKIEM / STILL LIFE WITH A SCREAM (1986), STILL NIGHT, STILL SOUND (1980), for mezzo-soprano and orchestra. SONNENLIEDER for mezzo-soprano, baritone, bass, choir and chamber orchestra (1983), oratorio ZIEMIA NICZYJA / NOBODY'S LAND (1983), REQUIEM for orchestra (1992) and SLAPSTICK for chamber orchestra (1998).
The EmigrantsZygmunt Mycielski (1907-1987), Stefan Kisielewski (1911-1981), Roman Palester (1907-1989), and Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991) were composers who symbolised the so-called "bad presence" syndrome in the history of post-war Polish music. The "bad presence" in Mycielski's and Kisielewski's music was influenced by their public activity in the sphere of politics as a result of which their works were frequently sentenced by communist authorities to absence from musical life and the composers themselves were forced to a type of "inward" emigration. In a description of Andrzej Panufnik's music it is necessary to indicate his inspiration by folk and ancient music, the use of religious motifs of Catholic origin, constructiveness of the sound language reflected in building musical structures with simple interval patterns and shaping musical form like geometric systems which did not prevent the composer from developing very emotional, sometimes romantic expression. Andrzej Panufnik composed, e.g., ten symphonies: SINFONIA RUSTICA (1948), SINFONIA ELEGIACA (1957), SIMFONIA SACRA (1963), SINFONIA CONCERTANTE (1973), SINFONIA DI SFERE (1975), SIMFONIA MISTICA (1977), METASINFONIA (1978), SINFONIA VOTIVA (1981), SINFONIA DI SPERANZA (1987), X SYMPHONY (1988), numerous smaller symphonic works, three string quartets (1976, 1980, 1990), a piano concerto (1962), violin concerto (1971), bassoon concerto (1985) and cello concerto (1991).
Polish Minimalists: Tomasz Sikorski and Zygmunt KrauzeTomasz Sikorski (1939-1988) initiated the minimalist music style in Europe apart from American models. His music originates from acoustic nuances, resonance and echoes. It is often a music of whispering. Sikorski was the first composer in Poland who introduced the category of contemplative music represented in the USA mainly by Morton Feldman. The music of Zygmunt Krauze (born 1938) is usually classified as belonging to this minimalist style and the composer is regarded one of the forerunners of the style in Europe. The composer's very important inspiration came from the painting and theories of Polish avant-garde artist Wladyslaw Strzeminski (1893-1952) from whom Krauze borrowed the term unism to describe his aesthetics. Zygmunt Krauze's unistic works are by assumption a homogeneous space, devoid of dramatic conflicts and significant contrasts. This does not mean, however, that "nothing is happening" in these works. On the contrary, many subtle and delicate "things" are happening in this music. Zygmunt Krazue's most important works included: PIECE FOR ORCHESTRA I, II, III (1969, 1970, 1982), FOLK MUSIC (1972), AUS ALLER WELT STAMMENDE (1973), two piano concertos (1967, 1996), an opera entitled GWIAZDA / THE STAR (1981), SYMPHONIE PARISIENNE (1986), three string quartets (1965, 1970, 1983), piano quintet (1993); LA TERRE for soprano, piano and orchestra (1995).
The Perspective of the Last Decade of the 20th CenturyComposers born after the war became increasingly present in the panoramic picture of Polish music of the nineties. Two names deserve particular attention: Eugeniusz Knapik (born 1951) and Pawel Szymanski (1954). Eugeniusz Knapik spent the last decade of the century working with Belgian playwright and painter Jean Fabre to compose an operatic trilogy THE MINDS OF HELENA TROUBLEYN in which the thoroughly innovative content and stage design is combined with a music which might be paradoxically called "originally eclectic". Knapik, a pupil of Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki, is strongly attached to the tradition of musical form which originates primarily from Beethoven and Brahms as well as to the culture of sound that we owe, for example, to Richard Strauss, Skriabin and Messiaen. Eugeniusz Knapik found in his music a "golden middle" of proportions between the contemporary and traditional which makes it difficult to say whether he places his sound language in the space of history, or whether elements of late romantic and impressionist tradition are placed in the realm of modern language. Knapik's operatic trilogy THE MINDS OF HELENA TROUBLEYN with a libretto by Jean Fabre, was composed in 1987-1996 and includes the following parts DAS GLAS IM KOPF WIRD VOM GLAS - SILENT SCREAMS, DIFFICULT DREAMS - LA LIBERTA CHIAMA LA LIBERTA. Knapik's work entitled UP INTO THE SILENCE (1996-2000) - a song for soprano, baritone, string quartet and symphony orchestra - is also based on the aesthetics of opera works. Pawel Szymanski describes his music using the term "surconventionalism" which he invented with Stanislaw Krupowicz (born 1952). This composing technique, or rather sound matter transformed by the composing technique, is rooted in historical conventions and sound gestures which very often date back to the Baroque period. Composed as "precomposition" material (so they are not quotations), they become basic elements making up Szymanski's sound structures. This technique resembles a type of palimpsests - it is as if a different text, half covered and half revealed, shows through another text. Pawel Szymanski's daring and virtuoso performance always takes place in strict and constructive discipline. It is a music which either astonishes us with its metaphysical depth, or an explosion of almost ludic sensuality. It is a music of hypnotic beauty of illusory constructions - probably the most important Polish music composed in recent years. Among Szymanski's compositions attention must be given mainly to: PARTITY II (1978) and IV (1986) for orchestra and PARTITY III (1986) for harpsichord and orchestra, CZTERY UTWORY LITURGICZNE / FOUR LITURGICAL WORKS (1981), SONATA for instruments (1982), DWA UTWORY / TWO PIECES for string quartet, APPENDIX for piccolo flute and instruments (1983), LUX AETERNA (1984), Two ETUDES for piano (1986), QUASI UNA SINFONIETTA (1990), 5 WORKS for string quartet (1992), MISERERE for voices and instruments (1993), PIANO CONCERTO (1994), RECALLING A SERENADE for clarinet and string quartet (1998). Stanislaw Krupowicz's symphony FIN DE SIECLE (1993) may be treated as an example of the idea of musical surconventionalism. The form and narration of this work is constructed by the composer by means of idioms and conventions of 20th century music: the deliberate eclecticism at the level of sound, harmony and facture, figures and processes, produces a fully sovereign and integrated work which is neither a collage nor a kind of stylistic juggling. Krupowicz's most important works composed in recent years are compositions which use elements of Gregorian chant such as MISERERE for chamber choir (1996) and CHRISTMAS ORATORIO (1997). Krupowicz, who has worked for many years in a computer studio at Stanford University, became known in Poland in the latter half of the eighties as the most significant author of computer music e.g. TAKO RZECZE BOSCH / QUOTH BOSCH for tape (1985), WARIACJE POZEGNALNE NA TEMAT MOZARTA / FAREWELL VARIATIONS ON MOZART for amplified quartet and tape (1986), CONCERTO for tenor saxophone and computers (1987), TYLKO BEATRYCZE / ONLY BEATRICE for female recitative voice, amplified string quartet and tape (1988). A special place in the picture of Polish music is occupied by Krzysztof Knittel (born 1947). His output may be described using terms which were particularly fashionable in the seventies and eighties, such as counter-cultural and alternative. Knittel combines his experience gained in an electro-acoustic music studio with the practice of live electronics and improvised music, as well as including poetry, visual arts and elements of rock into his artistic projects. He has become the leading Polish composer in the area of performances, particularly his project entitled POCIAG TOWAROWY / FREIGHT TRAIN - a kind of work in progress which assumed different forms during performances with different artists. The premiere of Knittel's HEART PIECE - DOUBLE OPERA, composed with American composer and guitarist John King, with a text by Heiner Müller, became the greatest event of the Warsaw Autumn festival in 1999. Attention should be given also to the extremely subtle lyricism and introversion in the music of Tadeusz Wielecki (born 1954). His most important works include: BALLADA DZIADOWSKA / BEGGARS' BALLADE for chamber band (1994), POEMAT EKSTRAWERTYCZNY / EXTROVERT POEM for piano and tape (1995), ID for symphony orchestra (1996) and CONCERTO É REBOURS for violin and orchestra (1998). It is also worth noting the neo-classicising and at the same time romanticising tone in the very personal musical aesthetics of Aleksander Lason (born 1951). His CONCERTO FESTIVO for violin and orchestra (1995) was a great success and the whole was performed again in response to an encore during the Warsaw Autumn festival as well as recommended by the Paris International Composers' tribune in 1998. Aleksander Lason's rich musical output is summarised in his 3RD SYMPHONY (1999). Of the above composers, the graduates of the Academy of Music in Katowice - Eugeniusz Knapik and Aleksander Lason (sometimes also Pawel Szymanski is considered a member of this group) - are the main representatives of the so-called "Stalowa Wola generation". The name comes for the place of the generation's spectacular debut during a provincial festival called "Young Musicians to a Young City" which was held in Stalowa Wola. In this generation of composers it is also worth mentioning the names of Rafal Augustyn (born 1951), Krzysztof Baculewski (born 1950), Grazyna Pstrokonska-Nawratil (born 1947), Lidia Zielinska (born 1953) and Jerzy Kornowicz (born 1959).
The youngest generationAt least two Polish musicians representing a younger generation should be mentioned: Hanna Kulenty (born 1961) and Pawel Mykietyn (1971). The aggressive sound aesthetics of Kulenty, with which she began her spectacular career in the latter half of the eighties AD UNUM for orchestra (1985), two SYMPHONIES (1986, 1987), ARCUS FOR THREE PERCUSSIONISTS (1988), PERPETUUS for chamber orchestra (1989) has recently changed. Kulenty's scores are increasingly making use of elements of minimalist origin and her sound narratives are becoming more and more melodic. Her works PIANO CONCERTO NO.2 (1991), VIOLIN CONCERTO NO.1 (1993), SINEQUE FORTE for cello and orchestra (1994), GOING UP for chamber orchestra (1995) are usually constructed using the so-called arch polyphony technique. This technique, through non-synchronic climaxes in individual sections of form, causes intensive and un never relieved expressive tension in this music. The success of Kulenty's opera THE MOTHER OF THE BLACK-WINGED DREAMS during a Biennale of the Music Theatre in Munich (premiere - 9 December 1996) makes her one of the leading figures on the Polish composers' scene. The accomplishment of Pawel Mykietyn (born 1971), who is also a clarinetist and founder of a chamber band called Nonstrom, should be considered the most spectacular debut in composition in the nineties in Poland. The aesthetics of his works clearly draw on Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki and Pawel Szymanski. Mykietyn's ostentatiously tonal (major-minor) music, its frequent spontaneity, its poster-like formal expressiveness, always stopped by the composer's artistic instinct at the point beyond which the banal begins in art, are features which make Mykietyn the most prominent and strongest personality in the youngest generation of Polish composers. This opinion is confirmed by the composer's successes: In 1995 his EINE KLEINE HERBSTMUSIK for chamber band was acclaimed one of the greatest events of the Warsaw Autumn festival. Also in 1995 his work 3 FOR 13 for 13 instruments was nominated by the International composers' Tribune in Paris the best work by a young composer and his work EPIFORA (1996) for piano and tape was recognised by the International Tribune of Electroacoustic Music in Amsterdam in September 1996. The picture of Polish music composed in recent years has thus many dimensions and themes. It would be hard to describe it using one denominator. This makes it similar to European music where one such denominator cannot be found, fortunately. Looking at contemporary music, it is worth observing, however, that a specific change of the guard has already happened and an increasingly important role is played by composers born after the time of avant-garde in the history of music in this century. These composers will express the most important things in their music in the next century. Andrzej Chlopecki
|
||
| ||
