Hanna Kulenty (b. 1961)

[Maciek]

About time we got back to our Hanna Kulenty discussion, don't you think, Robert?

Here's the thread on the old forum: http://www.good-music-guide.com/forum/index.php/topic,12759.0.html.

And a few pics from her stage works to brighten up your screens:

http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/kulentyoperared1_sm.jpg
http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/kulentyoperared2_sm.jpg
http://www.usc.edu/dept/polish_music/composer/kulentyplath_sm.jpg

BTW, I finally figured out how to get to that Flute Concerto on the otherminds.org site.

Maciek

[Maciek]

Kulenty's Breathe for string orchestra was written in 1987. There are some who say that Kulenty goes here beyond what Penderecki achieved in his Threnody. Personally, I don't hear what they hear and find this to be one of Kulenty's least interesting pieces. But you can check for yourselves - maybe it will work better for you... 0:)

Here it is, as performed by the "Amadeus" Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio, conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal, recorded from a webcast:

DownloadLink:
[edit: link expired]

Enjoy,
Maciek

[Robert]

Kulenty's Breathe for string orchestra was written in 1987. There are some who say that Kulenty goes here beyond what Penderecki achieved in his Threnody. Personally, I don't hear what they hear and find this to be one of Kulenty's least interesting pieces. But you can check for yourselves - maybe it will work better for you... 0:)

Here it is, as performed by the "Amadeus" Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio, conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal, recorded from a webcast:

File:
Kulenty_Hanna_Breathe_(1987)_for_string_orchestra_Amadeus_Chamber_Orchestra_Agnieszka_Duczmal.mp3

DownloadLink:
http://rapidshare.com/files/31609425/Kulenty_Hanna_Breathe__1987__for_string_orchestra_Amadeus_Chamber_Orchestra_Agnieszka_Duczmal.mp3

File-Size:
26,49 Mb

Enjoy,
Maciek

Hi Maciek
How wonderful for this download......I am still hoping that Marvin Rosen will one day pop on and give some good news per our conversation.....

[Maciek]

Hi Robert!

Yes, I recorded it from the Polish Radio this morning and put it up mainly with you in mind, my friend. Let me know your thoughts - I think it's a pretty good piece but somehow there's no tension (it doesn't keep me interested all the way through). But maybe that's just me - this piece is often considered almost a masterpiece of modern string writing...

Maciek

[Robert]

Hi Robert!

Yes, I recorded it from the Polish Radio this morning and put it up mainly with you in mind, my friend. Let me know your thoughts - I think it's a pretty good piece but somehow there's no tension (it doesn't keep me interested all the way through). But maybe that's just me - this piece is often considered almost a masterpiece of modern string writing...

Maciek

thank you for that....I am in the middle of listening to that box of Quatuor Mosaiques that just arrived this morning....I will def download it and let  you know.....again thanks for thinking of me....

[Robert]

Kulenty's Breathe for string orchestra was written in 1987. There are some who say that Kulenty goes here beyond what Penderecki achieved in his Threnody. Personally, I don't hear what they hear and find this to be one of Kulenty's least interesting pieces. But you can check for yourselves - maybe it will work better for you... 0:)

Here it is, as performed by the "Amadeus" Chamber Orchestra of the Polish Radio, conducted by Agnieszka Duczmal, recorded from a webcast:

File:
Kulenty_Hanna_Breathe_(1987)_for_string_orchestra_Amadeus_Chamber_Orchestra_Agnieszka_Duczmal.mp3

DownloadLink:
http://rapidshare.com/files/31609425/Kulenty_Hanna_Breathe__1987__for_string_orchestra_Amadeus_Chamber_Orchestra_Agnieszka_Duczmal.mp3

File-Size:
26,49 Mb

Enjoy,
Maciek

Hi Maciek
Does nothing for me.....

[Maciek]

You mean the link doesn't work? Strange - I just checked, it works for me. Anyone else have this problem?

[Robert]

You mean the link doesn't work? Strange - I just checked, it works for me. Anyone else have this problem?

no no no, I mean the performance. It had a few small moments but nothing to keep me interested....

thanks....

[Maciek]

Aha!

Well, as I mentioned before: same here.

[Maciek]

I've mentioned before that the Violin Concerto is probably my favorite Kulenty piece. As it happens, a bit taken out of it (the cadenza) actually functions as a separate composition for violin solo (with "delay"). Luckily enough, I've managed to record this absolutely breathtaking, amazing (IMO) music last night. Here it is:

Hanna Kulenty Cadenza (1992)
Krzysztof Bąkowski, violin

[Robert]

I've mentioned before that the Violin Concerto is probably my favorite Kulenty piece. As it happens, a bit taken out of it (the cadenza) actually functions as a separate composition for violin solo (with "delay"). Luckily enough, I've managed to record this absolutely breathtaking, amazing (IMO) music last night. Here it is:

Hanna Kulenty Cadenza (1992)
Krzysztof Bąkowski, violin

File-Size: 12,76 MB

DownloadLink: http://rapidshare.com/files/44724001/Kulenty_Hanna_Cadenza__1992__for_violin_and_delay_Krzysztof_Bakowski.mp3

YES, This is great.....I need some more......What you got??

[Maciek]

Sorry, nothing at the moment. But I'm constantly scanning the Polish Radio program for her name. There's nothing more this week. Maybe next week?

[Robert]

Sorry, nothing at the moment. But I'm constantly scanning the Polish Radio program for her name. There's nothing more this week. Maybe next week?

Maciek,
BTW I want to thank you for all those discs you pointed out to me....Im really enjoying them....By the end of August I should be back 100%, will have time to pursue Kulenty abit more. I must admit I haven't been in a search mode for awhile... Eventually I will let you know some of the things I have found. Have also been away for awhile and also going away in August for a few weeks....It gets real hot here this time of year. Yesterday it was 115....Last week we went up to Los Angeles to cool out....Hope everyone is well. That daughter keeps getting cuter and cuter...

[Maciek]

There seems to be a short (6 min.) Kulenty piece on this new disc:

http://www.dux.pl/wyszukiwanie_pelne/wyniki/podglad/?pid=296

The running time of the whole thing is a bit of a let down though: 52:34!

[Maciek]

And while the thread is up:

Hanna Kulenty - Ad Unum for orchestra (1985)
PRNSO/Antoni Wicherek

The piece was awarded 2nd prize at a young composers' competition in Amsterdam in 1985.

[Maciek]

Robert (who hasn't been around since last September; where are you, Robert?!) once mentioned to me in a PM that he knew the Kronos Quartet to be preparing a Kulenty premiere. I couldn't find any confirmation of this on their site, but today I noticed in the latest PMC newsletter that the Kronos have in fact given first performance of a new Kulenty work!

The Kronos Quartet premiered Hanna Kulenty's String Quartet No. 4: A Cradle Song on the 3rd of September at the Ravinia Festival near Chicago, IL. The composer was present for the premiere.  Both the ensemble and the audience were very impressed with this new composition.

(...)

Kronos will perform A Cradle Song in the following venues in the future:
20 October 2008: Elliniki Theamaton, Athens, Greece
19 November 2008: Lafayette College, Easton, Pennsylvania, USA
1 February 2009: Cal Performances, Berkeley, California, USA
4 May 2009 : Theatre de la Ville, Paris, France

(Here's a link to the whole PMC newsletter, and here to the Kronos website.)

So now all that remains is to wait hope for a recording (preferably, coupled with Mykietyn's 2nd).

The new Kulenty quartet is titled "Cradle Song". I wonder what relation it bears to her piano trio of the same title.

[Maciek]

Oh, and from the very same source:

KULENTY HONORED BY DUTCH
Hanna Kulenty, the Polish-born composer who since 1992 has lived both in Warsaw (Poland) and in Arnhem (The Netherlands), was recently honored by Toonzetters in Amsterdam.  Organized by Buma Cultuur, Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ and Music Centre the Netherlands, Toonzetters released a list of the top ten most distinctive new pieces of music composed in the Netherlands, which were chosen by a professional jury, and these works were presented to the public during the first day of the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ Festival on August 31st. Kulenty’s Preludium, Postludium & Psalm was one of the compositions from 2007 that was honored this year.

[Maciek]

Not sure if this is new or if I had never done a proper search before but this appears to be Kulenty's own site, with lots of valuable information:

http://www.hannakulenty.com/

[Cato]

I find it fascinating that, according to her website, the young lady apparently lives solely from composing music!

Perhaps she lives austerely, or perhaps she has picked up some magic tricks at the University of Krakow and simply creates money when she needs it, like the U.S. Government!   

Anyway, her large list of works (3 symphonies, 3 piano concertos, operas) is thereby partially explained, if she has never had to spend time earning her daily bread by selling insurance, counting widgets, or something really depressing, like teaching in a college!   

[Maciek]

But Cato: she did not study in Cracow!

More to the point: if you look under "Biographical Details" (the third section of the Biography page), you will find that she often works/worked as an academic teacher + is currently holding a fellowship from Fonds voor de Scheppende Toonkunst (whatever that is) + sometimes sits in the juries of various competitions. So it's not quite as carefree a life as you would wishfully imagine...