Krzysztof Meyer

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Krzysztof Meyer (2002)

Krzysztof Meyer (born August 11, 1943 in Cracow ) is a Polish composer , pianist , music theorist and university professor .

Life

Meyer got his first piano lessons at the age of 5. He studied composition with Stanisław Wiechowicz at the Kraków Music Academy and, after Wiechowicz's death, music theory with Krzysztof Penderecki . In the 1960s he studied repeatedly with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and at the American Conservatoryin Fontainebleau. As a pianist he performed with the “Ensemble for Contemporary Music MW2” in Poland and other European countries and also played his own compositions. From 1966 to 1987 Meyer taught at the Krakow Music Academy and was temporarily its prorector. From 1975 to 1987 he held the chair for music theory. From 1985 to 1989 he was chairman of the Polish Composers Association. From 1987 to 2008 he led a composition class at the Staatliche Hochschule für Musik Köln , from 2010 to 2012 he was director of the European Music Academy in Bonn . Meyer is a member of the Free Academy of the Arts in Mannheim.

His extensive knowledge of the music of the 20th century and his technical confidence in questions of instrumentation and composition make him one of the most sought-after Polish composition teachers. His students include Sascha Dragićević , Georg Hajdu , Füsun Köksal and Harald Muenz .

plant

Initially, in the 1960s, Meyer went in search of new articulations and timbres. The first three symphonies and four string quartets in particular show imaginative color schemes, the diversity of which results from unusual articulation, high-contrast structures, percussion effects or the use of quarter tones. At that time he also used dodecaphony and punctualism , but also aleatoric and collage techniques. E.g. in the opera Kyberiade :

I was working on this opera at a time when avant-garde tendencies were still very much alive in Polish music. Aleatory, sonorism, bruitism and other features that shaped the so-called Polish School at that time were something completely obvious and natural to me. (...) The Kyberiad was an attempt to transfer these phenomena to the realm of opera. It turned out that those techniques were excellent for scenic music; even more: they were able to reproduce different expressive shades, from dramatic to grotesque, from melancholy to happy.

In the 1970s, through a synthesis of tradition and modernity, he succeeded in creating his own style with a wide range of musical means and great suggestiveness of expression. Solidarity with tradition is also evident in the selection of genres ( symphony , concert , string quartet , sonata , mass , and the like). On the other hand, some works for large ensembles can be heard as musical commentaries on political events or existential considerations (VI. Symphony “Polish Symphony”, which ties in with the atmosphere of martial law in Poland, Eighth Symphony on the anti-anti-Semitic poems by Adam Zagajewski, The text conveys the catastrophic message of the oratorio Creation, but the whole meaning is only made clear by the music.)

Meyer composes as if he believed in the meaning of a musical "narrative", in the meaning of a dramaturgical development. The composer deals intensively with the problem of perception of the music and the reactions of the audience are important to him, who can intuitively or even consciously feel the order and the flow of his music. Therefore the large form, which he regards as an integral unit, is important to him. Lutz Lesle describes his way of composing:

Meyer pays attention to the recognizable and recognizable formulation of musical figures. He wants to ensure that the less trained listener, to whom he feels absolutely obliged, perceives and follows the work and changes of the motifs and phrases in this sonorous narrative stream .

The dramaturgy of his works usually takes place in certain phases, according to "Meyer's terminology" these are:

  • Initial phase
  • Main phase - definition of the topics, most important harmonies or timbres
  • Transition phase - preparation or relaxation
  • Particular importance phase - climax or contrasting episode
  • Final phase

He also often uses the principle of the golden ratio ; He also allows other parameters such as rhythm, dynamics and harmony to interact with symmetry, proportionality and even combinations of numbers (e.g. the role of the number 12 in the 7th string quartet ). In his later works he returned to the principle of the sound center.

Works

Stage works

  • Cyberiada ( Kyberiade ; Krzysztof Meyer based on Stanisław Lem's cycle of narrations Kyberiade ), fantastic opera in 3 acts, op. 15 (1967-1970). (2nd version 1985)
  • Hrabina (The Countess), ballet on motifs from the opera by Stanisław Moniuszko 1st act op.49 (1980)
  • Gracze ( The Players ; Completion of the opera Igroki by Dmitri Shostakovich based on Nikolai Gogol ), 3 acts op.53 (1980/81) (Soloists, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Michail Jurowski; Capriccio 60 062-2)
  • Klonowi bracia (The Enchanted Brothers; Meyer after Evgeni Schwarz ), children's opera, 2 acts op. 72 (1988/89)

Orchestral works

  • 1st symphony (1964)
  • 4th Symphony (1973)
  • 5th Symphony for String Orchestra (1979)
  • 6th symphony "Polish" (1982)
  • Sinfonia del tempo que passa (2003)
  • Fireballs (1976)
  • Symphony in the style of Mozart (1976)
  • Homage to Johannes Brahms (1982)
  • Musica incrostata (1988)
  • Carillon (1993)
  • Farewell Music (1997)
For solo instruments and orchestra
  • Concerts for flute and orchestra: No. 1 (1964), No. 2 (1983)
  • Concerto da camera per oboe, percussione ed archi (1972)
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra (1973)
  • Concerto for piano and orchestra (1983)
  • Concerto for alto saxophone and string orchestra (1992)
  • “Canti Amadei” for violoncello and chamber orchestra (1984)
  • Concerto for violoncello and orchestra (1995)
  • Concerto for harp, violoncello and string orchestra (1984)
  • Caro Luigi per 4 violoncellos ed orchestra d'archi (1989)
  • Concerto for clarinet and orchestra (2001)
  • Concerto for violin, violoncello and orchestra (2006)
  • Concert for guitar, timpani and string orchestra (2011)

Chamber music

When I was a little boy, I was able to listen to chamber music concerts at home, which we held regularly. Perhaps that is why chamber music is particularly important to me in my life.
  • Capriccio per sei strumenti (1988)
  • Clarinet Quintet (1986)
  • Piano Quintet (1991)
  • Cinque colori for flute, violin, violoncello, percussion and piano (2001)
  • String quartets:
No. 1 (1963)
No. 2 (1969)
No. 3 (1971)
No. 4 (1974)
No. 5 (1977)
No. 6 (1981)
No. 7 (1985)
No. 8 (1985)
No. 9 (1990)
No. 10 (1994)
No. 11 (2001)
No. 12 (2005)
No. 13 (2010)
No. 14 (2014)
No. 15 (2018)
  • Quattro colori for clarinet, trombone, violoncello and piano (1970)
  • Concerto retro for flute, violin, violoncello and harpsichord (1976)
  • Hommage à Nadia Boulanger for flute, viola and harp (1971)
  • Piano Trio (1980)
  • Trio for flute, viola and guitar (1992)
  • String Trio (1993)
  • Trio for clarinet, violoncello and piano (1998)
  • Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano (2002)
  • Canzona per violoncello e pianoforte (1981)
  • Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte No. 1 (1983)
  • Misterioso for violin and piano (1994)
  • Capriccio interotto for violin and piano (2000)
  • Impromptu multicolore for two pianos (2000)
  • Sonata per violoncello e pianoforte No. 2 (2004)
  • Duetti concertanti for bassoon and piano (2004)
  • Metamorphoses for alto saxophone and piano (2004)
  • Duetti for two violins (2008)

Solo works

  • For piano:
Sonata No. 1 (1962), No. 2 (1963), Sonata No. 3 (1966), No. 4 (1968), No. 5 (1975), No. 6 (2006)
Aphorisms (1961)
24 Preludes (1978)
Quasi una Fantasia (2005)
  • Sonata for harpsichord (1973)
  • Fantasy for Organ (1990)
  • Sonata per flauti soli (1980)
  • Sonata for Violino (1975)
  • 6 Preludes for Violino (1981)
  • For violoncello:
Sonata No. 1 (1961), sonata No. 2 (2007)
Moment musical (1976)
Monologue (1990)

Vocal music

  • Symphony No. 2: Epitaphium Stanisław Wiechowicz in memoriam for choir and orchestra, based on words by Julian Tuwim op.14 (1967)
  • Symphony No. 3: Symphonie d'Orphée for choir and orchestra based on words by Paul Valéry op.20 (1968)
  • Liryc Triptych for tenor and chamber orchestra (1976)
  • Symphony No. 8: "Sinfonia da requiem" for choir and orchestra, based on words by Adam Zagajewski (2009)
  • Mass for choir and orchestra (1996)
  • Wjelitchalnaja for a cappella choir (1988)
  • Creation , oratorio for solos, choir and orchestra (1999)
  • Symphony No. 9 "Fidei speique Sinfonia", for mixed choir and orchestra, based on psalm texts (lat.) (2016)

book

Awards

literature

  • Maciej Jabłoński, Martina Homma (eds.): Krzysztof Meyer. A composer portrait. Bela-Verlag et al., Cologne 1998, ISBN 3-931430-02-2 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ M. Jablonski, M. Homma (Ed.): Krzysztof Meyer. A composer portrait. Cologne 1998, p. 63.
  2. ↑ K. Meyer
  3. ↑ M. Jablonski, M. Homma (Ed.): Krzysztof Meyer. A composer portrait. Cologne 1998, p. 96.
  4. ^ Zofia Helman: Krzysztof Meyer. In: Hanns-Werner Heister , Walter-Wolfgang Sparrer: Contemporary composers. Edition Text & Criticism, München 1992, (Loseblattsammlung).
  5. ^ A portrait of a composer .... , p. 74.
personal data
SURNAME Meyer, Krzysztof
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish composer, pianist, music theorist and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH August 11, 1943
PLACE OF BIRTH Krakow