Zygmunt Krauze

Polish composer and pianist (b. 19 September 1938), who studied composition and piano at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw and with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. He is known as a composer of unistic music, based on the theory of unistic art adopted from the painting of Wladyslaw Strzeminski (1893–1952). Unistic music lacks contrasts, tension and climaxes in the traditional sense and its form is as homogenous as possible. He is an author of five operas, several instrumental concertos, symphonic and chamber works. Together with architects he also composed spatial music.

Zygmunt Krauze won the First Prize of the Gaudeamus International Interpreters Award in Holland in 1966. Since then he has continued his career as a pianist performing mostly 20th century music. In 1967 he founded The Warsaw Music Workshop ensemble, which commissioned works from over 100 composers. He served as its artistic director and pianist for over 20 years.

Since 1965 he has given seminars as well as master classes of composition and contemporary music performance, including prestigious centers of new music like: Darmstadt, Basle, Stockholm, Los Angeles, Tokyo, Jerusalem and Hong Kong. In 1982 he served as a visiting professor at Yale University. In 1996 he was nominated as an Eminent Corresponding Professor at Keimyung University, Daegu, South Korea. From 2002 he is professor of composition at the Music Academy in Lodz, Poland, and from 2006 at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw

Between 1973-74 he was an artist in residence in Berlin at the invitation of DAAD (Deutsche Akademischer Austauschdienst). In 1982 he was invited by Pierre Boulez to become a musical advisor to IRCAM in Paris. Apart from that he was a member of the repertoire committee of the Warsaw Autumn festival for ten years and in 1987-90 served as president of the International Society for Contemporary Music. He also served as president of the Witold Lutoslawski Society and for 25 years president or vice president of the Polish Section of the ISCM.

Among his honours and awards are: Silver Cross of Merit of Poland (1975), the Medal of Distinction from Jeunesses Musicales in Poland (1979) and the title of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres in France (1984). In addition he received the Prize of the Ministry of Culture in Poland 1989 and 2005. In 1999 he became an honorary member of ISCM. In 2004 he received the Golden Cross of Merit and in 2005 the UNESCO Heritage of the Humanity Award in Valparaiso, Chile. In 2008 he was appointed by the President of the French Republic Officer dans l'Ordre National de la Legion d'Honneur. In 2010, he was appointed by the Polish Ministry of Culture and Heritage gold medal "Gloria Artis". In 2011 he became honorary member of the Polish Composers Union (ZKP).

Zygmunt Krauze's works have been recorded on such labels as: Muza, Dux, ORF, Nonesuch, Thesis, Musical Observations (CP2), Collins Classics, Recommended Records and EMI.

Works

Symphonic

The Letters (2010) For four pianos and orchestra / for two pianos, four pianists and orchestra

Hymn for Tolerance (2007) For orchestra

Adieu (2001) For upright piano and orchestra

Emille Bell (2000) For String Orchestra

Serenade (1998) For orchestra

Piano Concerto No. 2 (1996) For piano and orchestra

Rhapsod (1995) For string orchestra

Terra incognita (1994) For 10 strings and piano

Marcia (1991) For orchestra

Symphonie parisienne (1986) For orchestra

Blanc-rouge / Paysage d'un pays (1985) For two orchestral masses: wind orchestras, mandolin orchestra, accordion orchestra and 6 percussions (300 musicians)

Arabesque (1983) For piano (with amplification) and chamber orchestra

Piece for Orchestra No. 3 (1982)

Tableau vivant (1982) For chamber orchestra

Violin Concerto (1980) For violin and orchestra

Suite de dances et de chansons (1977) For harpsichord and orchestra

Piano Concerto No. 1 (1976) For piano and orchestra

Fete galante et pastorale (1975 concert version of spatial work) For 4 soloists playing on folk instruments (4 hurdy-gurdies, 4 bagpipes, 4 folk violins, 4 fifes) and orchestra

Aus aller Welt Stammende (1973) For 10 strings (5 violins, 3 violas, 2 cellos)

Folk Music (1972) For Orchestra

Voices (1972) For 15 optional instruments

Piece for Orchestra No. 2 (1970)

Piece for Orchestra No. 1 (1969)

Chamber

Fields and Hills - silence (2009)

Pour El (2008) For harpsichord

Voices for Ljubljana (2007) For seven instruments: viola, cello, flute, clarinet, trombone, piano and percussion

Fanfare (2007) For four trumpets

Ode (2004) For flute, ocarina, 2 trumpets in C, guitar and 3 tom-toms

Divertissement Silesienne (1998) For string quartet

Pastorale (1995) For flute, oboe, clarinet, French horn, bassoon

P - 53 (1994) For any player(s)

Piano Quintet (1993) For string quartet and piano

For Alfred Schlee with admiration (1991) For string quartet

The Underground River (1987) Concert version for 7 players (clarinet, trombone, percussion, guitar, piano, accordion, cello) and 7 tapes

Je prefere qu'il chante (1985) For bassoon

Quatuor pour la naissance (1984) For clarinet, violin, cello and piano

String Quartet No. 3 (1982)

Commencement (1982) For harpsichord solo

Dyptychos (1981) For organ

Automatophone (1976) Concert version for 3 or more mandolins, 3 or more guitars, 3 or more music boxes

Soundscape (1975) For 4 soloists playing 4 zithers, 4 melodicas, 8 recorders, 8 sheep bells, 8 glasses, 4 mouth harmonicas; with amplification and tape

Idyll (1974) For 4 soloists playing folk instruments (4 hurdy-gurdies, 4 bag pipes, 4 folk violins, 4 fifes, 16 bells) and tape

Song (1974) For 4 - 6 optional melodic instruments

One Piano Eight Hands (1973) For 4 musicians playing one upright piano out of tune

String Quartet No. 2 (1970)

Polychromy (1968)

For clarinet, trombone, piano and cello

String Quartet No. 1 (1965)

Prime numbers (1961) For two violins

Wind Trio (1958) For oboe, clarinet and bassoon

Piano

La naissance et le deroulement d'un reve (2005)

Refrain (1993)

Blue Jay Way (1990)

La chanson du mal-aimé (1990)

Nightmare Tango (1987)

From Keyboard to Score (1987)

Ballade (1978)

Music Box Waltz (1977)

Gloves Music (1972)

Stone Music (1972)

Fallingwater (1971)

Esquisse (1967)

Triptych (1964)

Five Unitary Piano Pieces (1963)

Ohne Kontraste (1960)

Monody and fugue (1959)

Four dances (1959)

Two inventions (1958)

Seven interludes (1958)

Prelude, intermezzo, postlude (1958)

Five Piano Pieces (1958)

Three etudes (1958)

Theme with variations (1958)

Six folk melodies (1958)

Sonatina (1958)

Three Preludes (1956)

Vocal

• Podróż Chopina Chopin's journey (2010) For chamber choir a capella or with folk instruments ensemble
• Ball In The Opera (2006) For chamber choir and 12 instruments Based on Julian Tuwim's text
• 5 Songs (2000) For baritone and piano For the poetry of Tadeusz Różewicz
• Trois chansons (1997) For mixed choir (16 singers) on poems by Claude Lefebvre
• La Terre (1995) For soprano, piano and orchestra Poems by Yves Bonnefoy
• Postcard from the Mountains (1988) For soprano and 8 instruments (flute, oboe, clarinet, vibraphone, violin, viola, cello and double-bass)
• Malay Pantuns (1961) For three flutes and alto voice (or mezzo-soprano)

Opera

• Pułapka ("The Trap," 2011) an opera in one act. Libretto: Grzegorz Jarzyna after Tadeusz Różewicz's drama Pułapka for soloists, symphomy orchestra and choir
• Polieukt ("Polyeucte," 2010) an opera in five acts. Libretto: Alicja Choińska and Jorge Lavelli after Pierre Corneille's drama Polyeucte for soloists, chamber choir and orchestra
• Iwona, księżniczka Burgunda ("Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy," (2004) an opera in four acts. Libretto by Grzegorz Jarzyna and the composer after Witold Gombrowicz's theater play for soloists, chamber choir and orchestra.
• Baltazar ("Balthasar," 2001) an opera in two acts Libretto: Ryszard Peryt after Stanisław Wyspiański's theater play Daniel.
• Gwiazda ("The Star") an opera in one act. Libretto: Helmut Kajzar. First version (1981) for 2 sopranos, 2 mezzo-sopranos, alto voice; tenor saxophone, trumpet, percussion, accordion, electric guitar, violin and double-bass. Second version (1994) for soprano, mezzo-soprano, orchestra, choir and ballet. Third version (2006) for soprano, computer and two camera-men.

Music for Theatre

• Molière: El Avaro (2010)
• Sophocles: Oedipus Rex (2008)
• Tankret Dorst: Merlin (2005) For string orchestra, three voices, harp, flute, percussion
• Eugene Ionesco: Macbett (1992) For mixed choir (16 singers), clarinet, trombone, percussion, synthesizer, piano, upright piano out of tune, violin, cello and double-bass
• Witold Gombrowicz: Opérette (1988) For clarinet, trumpet, trombone, piano, percussion, violin, double-bass
• François Billetdoux: Réveille-toi, Philadelphie! (1988) For clarinet, trombone, harp, accordion, guitar, piano, percussion, violin, double-bass and tape
• Federico Garcia Lorca: Le Public (1988) For clarinet, trumpet, trombone, electric guitar, percussion, violin, double-bass
• Pierre Corneille: Polyeucte (1987) For flute, Arabian flute (ney), French horn, piano, percussion, bells, harp, double-bass and tape

Musical Space Compositions

Aria (2007) Unlimited duration 21 sound sources (63 loudspeakers) in an exhibition hall

The Underground River (1987) Collaboration with Jan Muniak and Wieslaw Nowak - architects For 7 tapes

Fête galante et pastorale (1974) First version: Spatial composition for 6 groups of instruments and 13 tapes

Fête galante et pastorale (1984) Second version: Spatial composition for 13 group of instruments, 5 voices and 13 tapes

Automatophone (1974) Spatial Composition for 15 music boxes and 15 plucked instruments with amplification

Spatial Composition No. 2 (1970) Collaboration with Teresa Kelm - architect For 2 tapes

Spatial Composition No. 1 (1968) Collaboration with Teresa Kelm - architect and Henryk Morel - sculptor For 6 tapes

External links

• Zygmunt Krauze official website
• Zygmunt Krauze page
• Zygmunt Krauze at PWM Edition

Sources

• Krystyna Tarnawska-Kaczorowska: Zygmunt Krauze - między intelektem, fantazją, powinnością i zabawą (Zygmunt Krauze – between intellect, fantasy, obligation and amusement), Wydawnictwo Naukowe PWN, Warsaw 2001, ISBN 83-01-13426-7
• Zygmunt Krauze official website