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Polish classical music was shaped, in large measure, by the Romantic tradition.
Classical
Its creator was Fryderyk Chopin (1810- 1849), many of whose works linked the Romantic idiom with Polish folk
music. This tradition was continued by Stanisław Moniuszko (1819-1852), the composer of national operas and
numerous of songs. The Chopin tradition has also entrenched itself in Polish piano playing. Great piano virtuosi,
such as Józef Hoffmann, Artur Rubinstein or Ignacy Jan Paderewski, have played Chopin with particular pleasure.
During the interwar period, international competitions were brought to life, including one of the world's oldest,
the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition (a renowned violin virtuoso) in Poznań (since 1935), or the Fryderyk
Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw (since 1927), in which Dmitri Shostakovich, Janusz Olejniczak and Krystian
Zimerman, among others, made their debut. In the field of composition, the leading light of the period was Karol
Szymanowski (1882-1937), the creator of emotional music, often including folk colourings (e.g. the ballet
Harnasie), which has recently become popular in Europe thanks to the efforts of Sir Simon Rattle, famous for
conducting the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (including the complete recordings for EMI).
After the Second World War, Polish composers, working under strong political pressure, were forced to write
celebratory works. Some emigrated (Roman Palester, Andrzej Panufnik, Roman Maciejewski), while others, not
wishing to buckle under to the system, alluded to folk music or the ideals of absolute music. Thanks to this, there
arose worthwhile works untainted by political considerations (Lutosławski's Symphony No1, the works of Grażyna
Bacewicz and Bolesław Szabelski). The situation changed after 1956, alongside the political "thaw". Poles quickly
found their feet in the new artistic reality. Pieces displaying intriguing enlargement on ideas popular in Europe
arose with unusual speed; among such were the works of Tadeusz Baird and Kazimierz Serocki. In 1956, these
artists founded the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music, which still takes place
annually and is one of the most important festivals in Europe.
Equally quickly appeared revolutionary aesthetic ideas related to sonorism, which is the technique of creating
music based solely on sound colour. The pioneer of sonorism was Krzysztof Penderecki (1933), who pointed a
completely new developmental direction in European contemporary music. Penderecki's avant-gardism was
shocking - he used, without scruple, sounds from the interface between art and life - rustles, knocking, the wail
of saws or the clatter of typewriters (Fluorescence).
Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994), on the other hand, concentrated on questions of perfection of form and
refinement of sound. His music is multi-layered, internally rich and varied, displaying the discrete charm of
constellations of sound, at the same time not without dramatic interest (the 3rd and 4th Symphonies or Piano
Concerto).
Wojciech Kilar (1932) also belonged to the peak of the avant-garde, although today he is better known for his
film music (see p.39); the composer of orchestral pieces such as: Riff 62 (1962), Generique (1963) and
Diphtongos (1964). Among the most popular of his works from that time is the symphonic poem Krzesany
(1974), an expression of Kilar's fascination with minimal music, characterised by a parsimony of form and
content. This piece has led a fruitful life and is still very much enjoyed by both performers and listeners.
The departure from the avant-garde in order to get closer to the listener found its embodiment in the works of
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933). Górecki, in his youth a self-styled supporter of non-compromise, gradually
evolved into a mystic, the best evidence of which is his Symphony No3, composed in 1976. Some years later, it
finally achieved an improbable media career. This was caused by a release by the American company Elektra
Nonesuch with a recording of the Symphony performed by the American singer Dawn Upshaw and the London
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Sinfonietta. The piece reached the top of the American and British charts and was the fifth most popular piece in
Britain in 1993. The British radio station Classic FM, as a result of audience pressure, broadcast sections of
Gorecki's piece round the clock. Listeners to the Symphony No3 included classical music lovers as well as people
who had no daily contact with such music, young people as well as long-distance truck drivers. Górecki, with his
simple and yet intense music, reached everyone, revealing the world of primary emotions.
In the atmosphere of bringing the avant-garde to account, many composers returned to forgotten, traditional
ideals. This is particularly apparent in the works of Paweł Szymański and Paweł Mykietyn. Their pieces are
characterised by original relationships to the stylistics of Classicism, Romanticism, and even the Baroque
(Mykietyn's Sonnets after Shakespeare), a long way from empty imitation. The basis of this aesthetic approach is
the attempt to discover new meaning in classical art in the context of contemporary culture, which places both
composers in the camp of the musical postmodernists.
This dialogue with tradition is equally strongly apparent in Penderecki's more recent works, reaching straight for
cultural archetypes, evidence for which can be found chiefly in his oratorios and operas (e.g. The Devils of
Loudun, Paradise Lost, Die schwarze Maske), which are the crowning achievement of Polish operatic
composition.
It is also worth recalling the recent premieres of Mykietyn's An Ignoramus and a Madman, Zygmunt Krauze's
Balthazar (on repertoire in Paris) and Bernadetta Matuszczak's Antigone. Contemporary Polish works for the
stage are, in common with classics of this variety, presented by such leading directors as Mariusz Treliński,
Ryszard Peryt or Krzysztof Nazar. Great vocal-instrumental works guest at the annual Wratislavia Cantans
festival - from Gregorian chant to Gospel & Negro Spirituals, from classical to avant-garde composers, and all in
wonderful performances by world class orchestras, choirs, groups and soloists, interpreted by such conductors
as Antoni Wit, Kazimierz Kord, Jacek Kaspszyk or Tadeusz Strugała. Jerzy Maksymiuk, one of the most colourful
characters among Polish conductors, tours abroad in the main, ever eager to attempt new and hitherto unknown
works. He has conducted, among others, one of the world's best orchestras, the BBC Scottish Symphony
Orchestra from Glasgow, receiving, at the end, the esteemed title of Conductor-Laureate of that orchestra.
Among the artists present on the Polish concert stage, the leading positions are occupied by singers - Teresa
Żylis-Gara, Ewa Podle?, Kira Boreczko, Wiesław Ochman and Romuald Tesarowicz. While it is true that many of
them live abroad, similarly to the composers Zygmunt Krauze and Hanna Kulenty, the violinist Bartłomiej Nizioł,
the harpsichordist Elżbieta Chojnacka, and the pianists Krystian Zimerman and Piotr Anderszewski, they have
strong links with the Polish cultural inheritance, as may be heard in their repertoire.
Jazz, Pop, Rock
What is it that distinguishes popular music? It is governed not so much by established artistic canons as by
market forces. It has become a branch of a gigantic industry in which particular rules apply. Alongside the
multinational record companies, however, there still appear independents, releasing music which does not
require a media clamour. Such music is known as club, or niche music. Thanks to such niches, the picture of popculture is brightened by thousands of musical colours and tastes. And Polish artists take part in its creation.
It is not difficult to record an album these days, and their worldwide availability is also nothing unusual. So how,
in this enormous artistic market, can Poles differentiate themselves, what marks out their originality? What is the
deciding factor that makes an American, French or Japanese music-lover reach for a Polish disk, or the audiences
in Hamburg, London or Moscow listen to concerts by Polish artists?
The post-war history of Polish popular music began with jazz. And that is the way it stayed until 1950. Then, the
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Communist authorities decided that jazz was an expression of sympathy with a hostile ideology. Shortly after, it
was officially denounced and its performance and promotion prohibited. Only during the second half of the
Fifties, together with the "ideological thaw", did some signs of artistic freedom appear. In 1956, jazz enthusiasts
under the leadership of the outspoken writer Leopold Tyrmand (later an émigré) organised Poland's first
international jazz festival, which is today, going under the name Jazz Jamboree, the oldest in Europe.
Among the pioneers of the Polish jazz scene was Krzysztof Komeda (1931-1969). A doctor by education, a pianist
and composer by desire, he was the leader of many groups, the author of countless jazz themes, and one of the
most original composers of film music during the 60's (see p.39).
The greatest concentration of artistic activity towards the creation of an individual musical identity took place in
Poland during the Sixties. During this period, young artists - searching for their own space in literature, film,
theatre, the visual arts, popular music and jazz - all made their debuts. These searches are most fully and
colourfully reflected in the jazz discographies of the violinist and composer Michał Urbaniak, the vocalist Urszula
Dudziak, the pianist Adam Makowicz, the trumpeter Tomasz Stańko, the saxophonist Jan "Ptaszyn" Wróblewski
and the pianist, trumpeter and trombonist Andrzej Kurylewicz. They all began their careers during the Sixties,
but gathered their artistic momentum in the Seventies. Presently, in a musical landscape densely populated by
styles, fashions and trends, their music is an extravagant individuality, recognised by the world's artistic
authorities.
The name of Michał Urbaniak (1943) is most often mentioned these days among Polish jazz musicians. His discs
have been released at home and abroad in pressings exceeding 1.5 million units. He also appears on the covers
of tens of albums released by the world's leading jazz musicians: Marcus Miller, George Benson, Billy Cobham,
Ron Carter, Joe Zawinul, Wayne Shorter, Stéphane Grappelli and Miles Davis, to name but a few. He surprised
them with his openness to everything new, and his ability to link jazz with rock or hip hop. Even his violins sound
completely different, their sound colour enhanced by electronics, and he can alter his technique of forming
sound to imitate a saxophone's wail or a human voice.
In turn, Urszula Dudziak's (1943) voice is without doubt one of the most interesting instruments in contemporary
jazz. In 1958, Dudziak became the soloist in Krzysztof Komeda's group. A few years later, she quit as a
conventional jazz vocalist in order to concentrate on electronic vocal effects. With this change, she created a
new style of jazz singing in which, to this day, she has no competition. She impresses with her enormous vocal
strength, and her intonation, technique, and fluency, well demonstrated in the hit Papaya.
Adam Makowicz (1940) has gained worldwide fame among jazz pianists. His performances of George Gershwin's
pieces have delighted more than just American audiences. For his individual interpretations of Gershwin's music,
he received special permission from the composer's brother, Ira. In his playing the entire history of jazz piano is
reflected as if in a mirror: the charming swing of Teddy Wilson, the fluency of Art Tatum, the joviality of Errol
Garner, the elegance of Oscar Peterson. He is more concise than Keith Jarrett and jazzier than Chick Corea. All of
this, ornamented with technical virtuosity, improvisational eloquence, Chopinesque "slavonicness", creates a
unique musical picture.
Tomasz Stańko (1942), the winner of prestige awards like the Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik 2000 and
the European Jazz Prize 2002, has held the title of Europe's Number One Trumpeter for thirty years. In 1962, he
became a member of the Jazz Darings quartet, formed together with Adam Makowicz. It was probably Europe's
first Free Jazz group. Shortly thereafter, Stańko embarked upon his own, difficult journey achieving something
that characterises the greatest: a poetic unpredictability and a frantic expressiveness.
International fame is also enjoyed by the saxophonist Zbigniew Namysłowski (1939), one of the most creative
figures on the European jazz scene. He was the first Polish jazz musician to record abroad when he made the
album Lola, released in 1967 by Decca. This fact was noted in a "Down Beat" poll (1st place in the Talent
Deserving Wider Recognition category). He is a composer of film music as well as his own concert and recorded
repertoire, and many jazz themes, in which he borrowed themes from Polish folk music.
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Zbigniew Seifert (1946-1979), saxophonist and violinist, passed away prematurely. During the period from 1967
to 1973 he worked with the Tomasz Stańko Quintet. Later he toured and recorded abroad, most often in West
Germany, with the groups of Albert Mangelsdorff, Chris Hinze, Charlie Mariano, with the group Free Sound, and
with Joachim Kühn and McCoy Tyner. In 1976, he recorded his debut solo album, Man of the Light, which brought
him world attention. With a group of renowned American jazzmen, including John Scofield, Eddie Gomez and Jack
DeJohnette, he recorded his twentieth and final album, Passion, which delights to this day with its original violin
expressiveness.
Polish jazz, by using a universal musical language, quickly and efficiently found its place on the world stage. The
one condition necessary for Polish songs to cross geographical borders was to break through the language
barrier. This only happened at the beginning of the Nineties, when the multinational record companies started to
appear in the Polish music scene.
During the second half of the Eighties, the difficult and somewhat self-contained British music scene was
successfully penetrated by Barbara Trzetrzelewska (1954), but the Americans first accepted her sometimes
swinging, but usually Brazilian-influenced, songs. Today widely known as Basia, the singer and jazz vocalist,
composer and lyricist began her assault on the musical world in a Broadway recital. From this artistic temple,
with the help of albums, you can reach the furthest corners of the globe without obstacles; songs reach the
highest positions in the charts without difficulty; and every album is covered in gold or platinum.
The least success on the international scene has been achieved by Polish rock, it being difficult to compete with
the British giants. In the last decade, however, much has changed. The English language version of one of the
group Myslovitz's albums was promoted with concerts in London. The group's stage presence was also
recognised when they received an MTV European Music Award in 2002 in the category Best Polish Act. This
category, it is worth remembering, appeared just three years ago.
The Death Metal group Vader is one of the few Polish groups of its type known and valued on the world music
scene. The group was formed in 1985, and five years later began their international career, supported by the
English record company Earache Records. Since 1993, they have played in Poland at the more important rock
festivals as well as abroad, in Europe, Japan, the USA and Canada.
Fans of an original sound may be pointed in the direction of the Cracow Klezmer Band, an unusual quartet of
young virtuosi playing such instruments as accordion, violin, clarinet, double bass and percussion. Their dynamic
compositions and surprising arrangements make them one of the most interesting exponents of the
contemporary radical stream in the rebirth of Jewish music. The group do not limit themselves to purely Jewish
influences, however, but also incorporate elements of the Balkan, Arabic, Romany and Slavonic traditions. They
have successfully toured with such famous names as Brave Old World, Anthony Coleman & Sephardic Tinge, The
Klezmatics, and Dave Krakauer Klezmer Madness. The Cracow Klezmer Band's music enchanted John Zorn
himself, one of the most creative artists on the contemporary music scene. In 2000, the group's debut album,
entitled De Profundis, was released by his famous New York company TZADIK, followed a year later by the
second - The Warriors.
More and more frequently, independent releases promoting ethnic music, fashionable the world over, are
appearing abroad. For enthusiasts of ethnic-folk music, there should be a place in the collection for recordings by
Trebunie Tutki. This Polish Highland group is the continuation of a century-old musical family tradition. They
began their professional stage career in 1991 with a concert with legendary Jamaican roots-reggae group,
Twinkle Brothers. The album they recorded together, (Janosik) in Sherwood, was recognised as one of the best
World Music albums released during the 10-year existence of the World Music Charts Europe, an organisation of
radio producers from the 11 countries gathered together in the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). Similar
popularity was achieved by the album Best Dub/Greatest Hits. The trance-inducing fiddles, catchy melodies and
rhythmic swagger of the multi-talented Norman Grant create a remarkable fusion of two musical cultures.
It is also worth getting to know the music of De Press, a folk-punk group founded in 1980 in Oslo (Norway) on the
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initiative of Andrzej Dziubek and the Norwegian musicians Jorn Christensen and Ola Snortheim. The repertoire
consists of songs inspired by Polish highland folk music, liberally besprinkled with elements of punk, hardcore
and ska. The group have collaborated with musicians from Sweden, Belarus and Russia.
The picture of Polish popular music would be incomplete without mention of composers of film music. Their
achievements, known for years, have been recognised with many awards. After Bronisław Kaper, the late Henryk
Wars made his mark in Hollywood during the 50s. In the 1960s, the glittering Hollywood career of Krzysztof
Komeda was ended by a tragic accident. Nowadays, the musical ornamentation of many a well-known film is
provided by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, Wojciech Kilar and Zbigniew Preisner, co-creators of successes in American and
European cinema.
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki's Most Important
Works:
1958 Epitafium for choir and instrumental
ensemble
1959 Symphony No1 "1959" for string orchestra
and percussion
1962 Genesis - Elementi per tre archi
1971 Ad Matrem for soprano solo, choir, and
orchestra
1972 Symphony No2 "Copernican" for soprano,
baritone, choir and orchestra
1974 Amen for unaccompanied choir
1976 Symphony No3 "Symphony of Sorrowful
Songs" for soprano solo and orchestra
1980 Mazurkas for piano
1982 Lullabies and Dances for violin and piano
1987 Totus Tuus for choir a cappella
1988 String Quartet No1 "Already it is Dusk"
1991 String Quartet No2 "Quasi una fantasia"
1992 Concerto-Cantata for flute and orchestra
1993 Come Holy Spirit for unaccompanied choir
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Krzysztof Penderecki's Most Important
Works:
1958 Psalms of David for choir, stringed
instruments and percussion
1959 Emanations for two string orchestras
1960 Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for
52 stringed instruments
1962 Fluorescence for full symphony orchestra
1965 St. Luke's Passion for solo voices, lector,
four choirs and orchestra
1970 Cosmogony for solo voices, two choirs and
orchestra
1971 Utrenja for solo voices, two choirs and
orchestra
1974 Magnificat for solo bass, vocal group, three
choirs and orchestra
1977 Concerto per violino ed orchestra No. 1
1978 Paradise Lost after John Milton
1986 Die schwarze Maske opera in one act
1980 Te Deum for solo voices, two choirs and
orchestra
1980 Symphony No2 "Christmas Eve" for
symphony orchestra
1984 Polish Requiem for solo voices, two choirs
and orchestra
1991 Ubu Rex opera buffa after A. Jarry
1992 Symphony No5 "Korea" for symphony
orchestra
1996 The Seven Gates of Jerusalem for soloists,
lector, three choirs and orchestra
1998 Credo for solo voices, choir and orchestra
Curiosities
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The world's longest symphony is Bogusław Schaeffer's Symphony-Concerto, composed in 1997 and lasting over
two hours. Schaeffer is also well known (particularly among German-speakers) as a theoretician and historian
of contemporary music and as the author of avant-garde and very amusing plays (including Script for Three
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■
■
■
Actors).
Polish pianists are sometimes gifted in unusual ways. Ignacy Jan Paderewski, having already achieved fame as
a musician, did not hesitate before accepting the top job in the first independent government of the Polish
Republic in 1919. Artur Rubinstein and Mieczysław Horszowski were successfully touring at the age of nearly
100. Józef Hofman invented windscreen wipers and paper clips, and Janusz Olejniczak played Chopin's role in
Andrzej Żuławski's film La note bleue.
The record for the highest number of sales garnered by a single CD release of a performance of a
contemporary music work (in the classical music category) - over 1 million copies - belongs to H.M. Górecki's
Symphony No3, released by Elektra Nonesuch.
At the end of the Fifties, Krzysztof Penderecki sent three compositions to one competition, although only one
was allowed. The first he wrote left-handed (his usual hand), the second right-handed, and the third he asked
another person to copy, all to have the greatest chance of gaining a prize. It turned out that all three
compositions won awards: the First Prize, and two Seconds.
The Sinfonia Varsovia
Krzysztof Penderecki is the orchestral director of the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra, founded in 1984 from the
Polish Chamber Orchestra and considered to be one of the best in the world. The Sinfonia's first permanent
guest conductor was Yehudi Menuhin, and currently it is José Cura. With an almost unlimited repertoire, the
Sinfonia Varsovia performs all over the world with the best conductors (Mstislav Rostropovitch, Jerzy Maksymiuk)
and artists (José Carreras, Placido Domingo, Andreas Vollenweider).
Bright Young Things
Albums by two leading lights of the younger generation of Polish singers, Edyta Górniak (1972) and Anna Maria
Jopek (1970), distributed by multinational record companies, reach music lovers all over the world. The decision
to introduce these two talented and beautiful artists to the world was taken by Western managers (including Jim
Beach, who for many years managed Queen). Edyta Górniak took second place in the Eurovision Song Contest in
Dublin (1994) and has partnered the great tenor José Carreras in a charity concert. The British and German
media have dubbed her the greatest discovery of the last decade. She has all the right characteristics to
eventually occupy the places of Liza Minelli or Whitney Houston: an exotic beauty, a marvellous voice and a
great talent. Anna Maria Jopek has received and award from the hands of Michel Legrand himself for her vocal
abilities, while Pat Metheny has recently chosen her as a partner for a collaborative jazz recording. Her onstage
charm, jazz spirit and delicacy effectively counterpoint the sound of Metheny's guitar.
The Best Known Polish Film Composers
Wojciech Kilar - The Pianist (2002), Death and the Maiden (1994), dir. R. Polański; The Portrait of a Lady (1996),
dir. J. Campion; Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), dir. F.F. Coppola
Zbigniew Preisner - Three Colours (1993-4), The Double Life of Veronica (1991), dir. K. Kie?lowski; Secret Garden
(1993), dir. A. Holland; Damage (1992), dir. L. Malle
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek - Unfaithful (2001), dir. A. Lyne; Bliss (1997), dir. L. Young; Washington Square (1997), dir. A.
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Holland
Michał Lorenc - Bandit (1997), dir. M. Dejczer; Exit in Red (1996), dir. Y. Bogayewicz; Blood and Wine (1996), dir.
B. Rafelson
Krzysztof Komeda - Knife in the Water (1961), Cul-de-sac (1966), Rosemary's Baby (1968), dir. R. Polański;
Kattorna (1965), dir. H. Carlsen
Bronisław Kaper - wrote the music for over 150 films; Oscar laureate (Lili, 1953, dir. C. Walters); the composer of
famous jazz themes (including Green Dolphin Street and You Are All I Need).
European Commission
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