Little-known Polish composers from 1945 on

[Maciek]

A new message appeared in this thread on the old forum no less than half an hour ago. Therefore I am reviving it here so we can continue the discussion.

Maciek

[Edit:]
And here's a link to the new Little-known Polish composers 966-1945 thread.

[Edit no. 2:]
Here are links to threads on this new forum dedicated to Polish composers who composed anything after 1945 (I'll be updating this list as new threads appear - let me know through this thread or PM me if I miss anything):
Aleksander Tansman (1897-1986)
Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969)
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994)
Andrzej Panufnik (1914-1991)
Tadeusz Baird (1928-1981)
Augustyn Bloch (1929-2006)
Wojciech Kilar (b. 1932)
Krzysztof Penderecki (b. 1933)
Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki (b. 1933)
Marek Stachowski (1936-2004)
Krzysztof Meyer (b. 1943)
Eugeniusz Knapik (b. 1951)
Aleksander Lason (b. 1951)
Pawel Szymanski (b. 1954)
Hanna Kulenty (b. 1961)
Paweł Mykietyn (b. 1971)

[uffeviking]

I thought my last posts were in the NEW forum! At least I signed up in the NEW one. Where did I go wrong? 

[Maciek]

No idea what's happening, Lis. But you're here now!

(So you probably didn't actually know what I meant when I asked you what you were doing there yesterday! )

[Maciek]

Well, I wanted to start a continuation of this thread from the old forum (here's a link), because this would be the best place to post today's sad news:

The Polish composer Andrzej Kurylewicz died yesterday (April 13th), at 75. He was a film composer, a jazz composer, and a classical composer. He played the piano, trumpet and trombone. He was a pioneer of jazz in Poland. He composed soundtracks to the very popular Polish TV series Polskie drogi and Lalka, and to the equally popular feature film Nad Niemnem.

[Robert]

Maciek,

I thought I would ask you to mention a few of your favorite pieces by Karol Szymanowski. I like his string qts, his violin concertos and his third and fourth symphonies....Thats basically what I have of his....What am I missing???

Robert

[Maciek]

Hi Robert!

I'll restart his thread right away!

Maciek

[Maciek]

I feel the following composers would merit a thread of their own, if only there were more recordings available. So instead, I'm putting them here. I wonder if anyone has heard of any of them:

Bogusław (Boguslaw) Schaeffer - apart from being a composer, he is also a successful playwright (not very good though, if you ask me) and musicologist (wrote several history of music textbooks and one on composing).

Eugeniusz Rudnik - one of the best composers writing electronic music in Poland. Some great pieces there, including the once famous (and now forgotten?) Mobile for tape.

Witold Rudziński (Rudzinski) - wrote an important textbook on rhythm in music (two volumes), best known as an opera composer (also a very important Moniuszko scholar).

Roman Palester - his life story is slightly similar to Panufnik's. He left in Poland in 1947. In 1949 his name was removed from all Polish publications, his scores taken out of bookshops and libraries etc. He remains largely forgotten, though many aknowledge the value of his works.

Piotr Perkowski - a legendary figure. Unfortunately only two CDs of his music were ever released (one of his piano works, the other of orchestra works and concertos).

Roman Maciejewski - author of one of the most famous Polish Requiems (a great - 2 CDs - neoromantic piece) and a brilliant mazruka-composer.

Paweł (Pawel) Mykietyn - one of the most popular composers in Poland today. His String Quartet was premiered by the Kronos Quartet last year. A CD of his theatre music is due out later this year. Not a personal favorite but I'm giving credit where credit is due - this is one of the few contemporary composers I know that is known outside classical music circles.

Zygmunt Mycielski - largely forgotten as a composer today (he was never part of the avant-garde), he is well remembered as a musical writer and memoirist - excellent reading. His music isn't bad either.

Stefan Kisielewski - best known (in Poland) as a politician and writer, he always considered himself first and foremost a composer. His neoclassical Piano Concerto remains the only piece in the history of the Warsaw Autumn festival to have been played twice on the first performance (the second time as an encore). Not that it became very popular afterwards... But it is available on an OOP CD.

Włodzimierz Kotoński (Wlodzimierz Kotonski) - spiritual father and teacher to a legion of Polish composers, and a great composer in his own right. He was the first Polish composer of "concrete" music, and author of a textbook on electronic music (newest edition out a year or two ago).

Jerzy Kornowicz - one of the youngest on this list (b. 1959). A postmodernist. Is not performed all that much but I find many of his pieces intriguing to say the least. His piano piece Coma Berenices used to be performed quite often. I love his miniature Small Pavana for violin and piano (1993) - a trifle with an easy melody, yet something fascinating about it.

Zygmunt Krauze - a Polish minimalist (or "unist", as he might call himself). I mentioned him on the old forum when talking about Tomasz Sikorski.

Stanisław (Stanislaw) Krupowicz - co-author (together with Paweł Szymański) of the term "metaconventionalism" (surkonwencjonalizm). Composer and mathematician. Recently wrote an opera.

Jacek Grudzień (Grudzien) - his music is very approachable, not "difficult". And yet it is very well written, and does not lose its initial allure on repeat hearings. Some very energetic writing at times - e.g. his Ad Naam for cello and tape with elements of techno music (a great piece, a bit similar to the first part of Daugherty's Sing Sing).

Henryk Czyż (Czyz) - he was one of the best Polish conductors ever but also a composer. The music is tonal and very well written (beautifully orchestrated).

Zbigniew Bargielski - very consistent composer, whose music never took one of those violent turns that were characteristic of some Polish composers of the 20th century (Kilar, Pendercki, Górecki).

Zbigniew Bujarski - modern, yet almost romantic. I posted his Lumen on the old forum. Even though I don't love all of his pieces, he is one of my favorite Polish contemporary composers - I especially like his writing for chamber orchestras.

Zbigniew Bagiński (Baginski) - his composing is always close to tradition, he never went in the sonoristic direction. He is "modern" nontheless.

Rafał (Rafal) Augustyn - composer and literary scholar. He chooses the most amazing texts for his compositions involving vocals!

There you go.

Maciek

[Maciek]

I've added links to other related threads into my initial post. Please let me know if I missed anything or if I miss anything in the future.

Cheers,
Maciek

[Guido]

May I point out the niggling and annoying point that the piece is called Capriccio?

[Maciek]

Is that re the superficiality??

[Guido]

Yeah! Yeah..

[Maciek]

Well, Capriccio or not, I find it representative...

Is there really a rule that says capriccio=superficial?

[Maciek]

To go along with the several "older" pieces I posted on the sister thread yesterday, here is some stuff for fans of more contemporary music.

First of all, the electronic classics I promised Symphonien quite a while back:

Wlodzimierz Kotonski's Study (1959).


Eugeniusz Rudnik's Mobile (1972) was an international hit in its time.


The third of Poland's top 3 composers for tape was Andrzej Dobrowolski. Here are some of his pieces:

Music for Tape No. 1 (1962)

Passacaglia (1959) for tape



Then, to complement our Harpsichord vs. Piano thread - here are some modern harpsichord pieces:

Jacek Grudzien Turdus musicus for amplified harpsichord


Stanislaw Krupowicz Tempo 72 for amplified harpsichord and strings


Lidia Zielinska Descendent



Next, a continuation of the several uploads of Tomasz Sikorski's music that I posted on the old GMG. Here are 2 more of his pieces:

Hymnos for piano

An Absent-Mindedly Perceived View from the Window for piano


And to complement that, a piece from the other Polish minimalist, Zygmunt Krauze:

Piece for Orchestra No. 1 (1969)



And to round things off several pieces from 2 very good composers who don't get the attention they deserve.

Wlodzmierz Kotonski Birds. 8 pieces for clarinet, cello and piano

Wlodzmierz Kotonski Symphony No. 1 (1995)


Zygmunt Mycielski the song cycle Round Year to the words by Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz



Hope this will serve as a basis of a wild discussion on this thread...

Cheers,
Maciek

[Symphonien]

Great selection there! So far listened to the first two; the Kotonski didn't make much of an impression on me but the Rudnik was genius! Or should I say Eugeniusz. Not sure if I can describe it in words just yet, definitely needs a few more listens!

By the way, after a quick Google search I found this little website which contains several of those electronic works and some others as well for those interested. Can't understand all the titles though but can guess at some of them. Do you know these composers/works Maciek?

[Maciek]

AMAZING site!

The only composer I don't know and have never heard of is Wiszniewski (and "?"). Other than that - they are all household names in Polish electronic music - even if one is misspelled (it should be Schaeffer with a double f). Another misspelled name is not a Polish one: François-Bernard Mâche (not Mash!!! ) is a French composer. So the piece is really called Nuit Blanche (White Night).

Most of the titles are not in Polish. Only the 3 last ones may require translating:
Ptacy i ludzie = Birds and People
Robak Zdobywca = The Conqueror Worm (that's the way I've seen it translated though personally I'd translate it as Worm the Conqueror)
Granice niczego = The Frontiers of Nothingness

Check out Kotonski's Tierra caliente - a really cool piece, one of my favorites (though almost all of the ones listed are real classics).

Maciek

[Maciek]

Since no one is commenting, I guess no one cares (Symphonien excepted, of course 0:)). So I'll add a few comments as a form of encouragement:

First of all, the electronic classics I promised Symphonien quite a while back:

Wlodzimierz Kotonski's Study (1959).

(The copy from the site Symphonien mentioned is probably higher quality. Look for "Etiuda".)

This is, I think, one of the first electronic pieces recorded in Poland. All of the material consists of one recording of a single cymbal stroke.

Eugeniusz Rudnik's Mobile (1972) was an international hit in its time.

(Again, the other site may have better sound quality)

Symphonien's recommendation should be enough but let me just add that this is generally considered one of the best electronic pieces composed in Poland to date.

Dobrowolski

Music for Tape No. 1 (1962)

Passacaglia (1959) for tape

Music for tape and piano (1971)

Frankly, I'm currently going through a "Dobrowolski phase". I now believe this is the best Polish composer ever. I'm fascinated. If anyone wants, I can upload a few more pieces + a better quality Music for tape and piano.

Jacek Grudzien Turdus musicus for amplified harpsichord

This is perfect for fans of fast, energetic, percussive harpsichord playing.

Stanislaw Krupowicz Tempo 72 for amplified harpsichord and strings

This is perfect for fans of polystylism, and musical quotations. This is modern but not difficult. A very good effort.

Lidia Zielinska Descendent

The only lady on the list! For that reason alone you should all listen to this - also it's an excellent, dynamic piece.

Tomasz Sikorski

Hymnos for piano

An Absent-Mindedly Perceived View from the Window for piano

If you don't like repetitive music, this is the type of minimalism that's cut out for you. Simple, yet magically enchanting. And, frankly, not as boring as some Morton Feldman. *ducks for cover*

Zygmunt Krauze

Piece for Orchestra No. 1 (1969)

This is a very interesting minimalist composer - so much so that he seems to be rewriting the same piece for years now. Still, always enjoyable to listen to (how many contemporary pieces can you say that about? well, I know, quite a lot - but still, you could give this a try).

Wlodzmierz Kotonski Birds. 8 pieces for clarinet, cello and piano

Wlodzmierz Kotonski Symphony No. 1 (1995)

Well, this might very well be the best (or second best) Symphony to come out of Poland in the 1990s. If you're going to download one piece from this list - download this one. You won't regret it.

Birds is also an excellent piece - and I'm sure you won't resist the temptation once you hear the Symphony anyway...

Zygmunt Mycielski the song cycle Round Year to the words by Jaroslaw Iwaszkiewicz

Hardly anyone remembers Mycielski nowadays, except as a writer of some fascinating diaries. But his music really was excellent, and not quite as traditional as one might think after reading those diaries. Any fan of contemporary song should hear this.

[Maciek]

Believe it or not, some people actually do download many of these files. And at least one of those people later burns them as ordinary audio CDs. So today, with a special dedication to that good friend, here's a program with a running time of approx. 78 minutes. These are all pieces in a much lighter vein, with Malecki at the far end of the spectrum - his suite is a sort of Offenbach meets Johann Strauss meets Gershwin contraption, and very enjoyable.

1.
Zbigniew Turski Small Overture (1956)

2.
Maciej Małecki Offenbachiana. Suite from the ballet A Brazilian in Paris

3.
Aleksander Tansman Bric-a-Brac. Ballet music

4.
Andrzej Kurylewicz 3 Sequences from the film On the Niemen River for piano and orchestra

Maciek

[Maciek]

You've heard about him.

You've seen him mentioned numerous times.

You've searched the used record stores to no avail.

You've cried your eyes out in despair.

Well, today...

Your worries are finally over!

Not only will you finally get to hear him - you'll also get to know a piece that was not included on that Olympia CD!

Here it is, just as advertised!

Boleslaw Szabelski
Concertino for piano and orchestra (1955)
Józef Stompel, piano
Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra (PRNSO)
Jerzy Salwarowski, conductor

Movements:
1. Allegro molto
2. Lento
3. Molto vivace

File-Size: 27,74 MB

DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/44442713/Szabelski_B_Concertino__1955__Stompel_PRNSO_Salwarowski.mp3

[Lilas Pastia]

Believe it or not, some people actually do download many of these files. And at least one of those people later burns them as ordinary audio CDs. So today, with a special dedication to that good friend, here's a program with a running time of approx. 78 minutes. These are all pieces in a much lighter vein, with Malecki at the far end of the spectrum - his suite is a sort of Offenbach meets Johann Strauss meets Gershwin contraption, and very enjoyable.

1.
Zbigniew Turski Small Overture (1956)
PRNSO/Jacek Rogala

DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/40514814/Turski_Zbigniew_Mala_uwertura__1956_.mp3

File-Size: 8,51 MB

2.
Maciej Małecki Offenbachiana. Suite from the ballet A Brazilian in Paris
PRNSO/Jarosław Lipke

DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/40509089/Ma_ecki_Maciej_Offenbachiana___suita_z_baletu_Brazylijczyk_w_Pary_u_WOSPR_Jaros_aw_Lipke.mp3

File-Size: 33,50 MB

3.
Aleksander Tansman Bric-a-Brac. Ballet music
Sylwia Mierzejewska solo violin, Polish Radio Orchestra/Wojciech Michniewski

DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/40513966/Tansman_Aleksander_Bric-a-brac_ballet_music_Sylwia_Mierzejewska_solo_skrzypcowe_POR_Wojciech_Michnie
(this requires adding the ".mp3" extension)

File-Size: 49,84 MB

4.
Andrzej Kurylewicz 3 Sequences from the film On the Niemen River for piano and orchestra
Paweł Perliński, Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw/Andrzej Kurylewicz
DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/40505592/Kurylewicz_Andrzej_Trzy_sekwencje_z_filmu_Nad_Niemnem_na_fortepian_i_orkiestr__Pawe__Perli_ski_OPR_w
(again, renaming required)

File-Size: 17,39 MB

Maciek

I had missed that somehow . I'll make good by downloading the whole lot this week . Are the links still active? (right now I have to wait 50 minutes for the next item in the queue, Meyer's Concerto da camera)

[Maciek]

Are the links still active?

They're all active, and I'll be posting a few more files with Polish music here and there later today. But don't worry - after that I'll take a break.