Wojciech Kilar

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Wojciech Kilar (2006)
Kilars star on the Walk of Fame in Łódź

Wojciech Kilar (born July 17, 1932 in Lwów , Poland , today Ukraine ; †  December 29, 2013 in Katowice , Poland ) was a Polish pianist and composer of new music and film music . He was one of the most prominent personalities on the European music scene of his time.

Live and act

Kilar spent his childhood in Lwów and took private music lessons there. During the Second World War he changed his place of residence several times and in 1945 came to Rzeszów and Kraków , where he continued his musical studies with Bolesław Woytowicz . From 1950 to 1955 he studied piano and composition at the Katowice Music Academy and in 1957 took part in the Darmstadt summer courses . Then he went to the conservatory of the Kraków Music Academy for postgraduate studies until 1958 , but chose Katowice and the Upper Silesian coal mining region as his adopted home. Kilar often traveled around the world (e.g. in Paris from 1959 to 1960 to study with Nadia Boulanger ) and kept returning to Katowice. Katowice was a place of artistic inspiration for him for many creative periods.

When portraying Kilar, critics usually show three stages of his musical work:

The first was shaped by his fascination with neoclassical music, important works by Igor Stravinsky and Béla Bartók . Both seemed to him to be real masters, from whom he could learn discipline, the compositional craft and a high level of inventiveness in the use of folklore in music. The higher position of form, which remained the hallmark of Kilar's approach to composition to the end, seems to have its roots in these neoclassical inspirations.

The second stage of his compositional work, that of sonorism , made Wojciech Kilar one of the most daring artists of experimental twelve-tone music in the mid-1960s; he was mentioned in the same breath as Krzysztof Penderecki and Henryk Górecki . Kilar's works from this creative period are primarily characterized by dynamism, diversity and expressive power. His sound experiments led to contrasting timbres, the gradual expansion of orchestra size and the introduction of unconventional articulation. To Kilar's ever-present interest in folklore, there were musical elements of jazz. Furthermore, the composer used the human voice in a very creative way, not only through diverse and innovative articulation, but also through meticulous treatment of the text and its phonetic properties.

The third creative period in Kilar's career began in 1974 with Krzesany (mountaineering), the orchestral work with which he achieved his final breakthrough in the European music scene. Formally, it appears in rhythmically pushing repetition patterns and is therefore not unlike minimal music . His fascination for folk music from the Tatra Mountains was now increasingly reflected in his work, something that was already noticeable during the previous creative period, but now in a much stronger form. Critics point to a simplification of the compositional technique and a reduction in the arrangement of the aids. The restless experimental diversity faded in favor of the fashionable, sometimes also never-ending monotony. Monotony, motor action (also present in Kilar's neoclassical period, albeit differently) or the use of highland scale and the return to melody were trademarks of Kilar's new style of composition. Another branch that began to dominate Kilar's third creative period was no less important: Kilar composed numerous works of sacred music that reflected his deep religiosity and his courage to use a simple, universal and tangible musical language.

Wojciech Kilar wrote about his religiosity and his religious experiences:

“There are people who want proof of God's existence. It seems to me that I know God exists. However, I was alone in my faith for a very long time because I wanted to experience it in a reflective way. Frankly, I felt most at home in an empty church alone, reflecting or reading one of the scriptures . Only in Jasna Góra (Częstochowa) did I rediscover the great joy and the need to be in a community. I began to understand that my faith is only perfect when I share it with others, when I am in the midst of people who are also believers and 'know'. The more people there are in the church and the harder it is for me to kneel down during Mass, the greater my joy. As the psalmist says: O taste and see how sweet the Lord is. "

- Wojciech Kilar

The discovery of the communal dimension in the experience of faith and the deep sense of being together with others led Kilar to compose music that is concentrated and meditative or in a certain way reflects the reality of faith, music that does not pretend to fulfill a liturgical function, but which is a work of creation, a response to the gift of an encounter with God. He never saw himself as a strictly religious composer of liturgical music.

Some of Kilar's works - deeply rooted in the fall of Poland - should be viewed in this context. Many key events in Poland's recent history were reflected in Kilar's compositions from the last two creative periods: by far the most important work among them is Exodus for mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra, the book Exodus and the situation in Poland shortly before the introduction of martial law ( December 13, 1981).

Since the 1970s, he was primarily active in the field of film music . His international career began in 1992 with the music for Krzysztof Zanussi's drama The Sound of Silence about a composer who survived the Shoah . Then Francis Ford Coppola engaged him for his baroque vampire drama Bram Stoker's Dracula . Kilar worked several times with film producers such as Andrzej Wajda and Roman Polański and created a hit with his Polonez from the film Pan Tadeusz (1999) , which has made him known everywhere in Poland since then. However , Kilar turned down an invitation to compose the music for Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings between 2001 and 2003 , as he wanted to concentrate on music that was performed in concert halls at the time.

Kilar's personal life was shaped by his relationship with his wife Barbara Pomianovska. The marriage from which Kilar drew his strength remained childless. The death of his wife Barbara in 2007 hit the deeply believing Christian Kilar hard. Kilar himself fell ill with a very aggressive brain tumor in mid-2013, to which he succumbed at the age of 81 on December 29, 2013 in Katowice after a short, serious illness and failed radiation therapy.

Prizes and awards

For his work on Polański's drama The Pianist (2002) , Kilar received the French César Film Prize . Between 2000 and 2006 he received the Polish Film Prize four times and for his great merits, in addition to the Order of Polonia Restituta , in 2012 he also received the highest award in Poland, the Order of the White Eagle .

Works

Instrumental music

  • 1955: Symphony for strings
  • 1956: Concertante symphony for piano and orchestra
  • 1974: Krzesany (mountaineering) for orchestra
  • 1976: Kościelec 1909 symphonic poem for orchestra
  • 1988: Orawa for string orchestra
  • 1988: Choral prelude for string orchestra
  • 1994: Requiem Father Kolbe for orchestra
  • 1997: piano concerto
  • 2003: September Symphony in memory of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001

Choral music (selection)

  • 1993: Agnus Dei from the film King of the Last Days , a cappella for mixed choir (SATB)
  • 1999: Apotheosis from the film Tydzień z życia mężczyzny (The Week in a Man's Life) with words from Shakespeare's Hamlet , a cappella for mixed choir (SATB)
  • 2000: Dona nobis pacem (Give us peace), a cappella for mixed choir (SATB), from the Missa pro pace
  • 2003: Lament (Lamento), a cappella for mixed choir (SATB)
  • 2008: Hymn paschalny (Easter hymn), a cappella for mixed choir (SATB)
  • 2008: Veni creator (Pentecost hymn), for mixed choir (SATB) and string orchestra

Works for solos, choir and orchestra

  • 1975: Bogurodzica for mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 1981: Exodus for mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 1983: Victoria for mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 1984: Angelus on the text of the Ave Maria for soprano, mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 2000: Missa pro pace for solos (SATB), mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 2006: Magnificat for solos, mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra
  • 2008: Te Deum for solos, mixed choir (SATB) and orchestra (on the occasion of the 90th Independence Day (Poland) )

Incidental music (selection)

Film music (selection)

  • 1963: Decision in the Clouds (Czerwone berety) - directed by Paweł Komorowski
  • 1964: Late Afternoon (Późne Popołudnie) - directed by Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski
  • 1965: The Mysterious Excursion (Wyspa złoczyńców) - directed by Stanisław Jędryka
  • 1966: Hell and Heaven (Piekło i niebo) - Director: Stanisław Różewicz
  • 1966: Boomerang - Director: Leon Jeannot
  • 1967: The murderer leaves traces (Morderca zostawia ślad) - Director: Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski
  • 1968: Wolfsecho (Wilcze echa) - Director: Aleksander Ścibor-Rylski
  • 1969: Solitude for Two (Samotność we dwoje) - Director: Stanisław Różewicz
  • 1969: Structure of the Crystal (Struktura kryształu) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1970: Rejs - Director: Marek Piwowski
  • 1970: Lokis - Director: Janusz Majewski
  • 1971: Family Life (Życie rodzinne) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1972: A Pearl in the Crown (Perła w koronie) - Director: Kazimierz Kutz
  • 1973: Illumination (Iluminacja) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1974: The Promised Land (Ziemia obiecana) - Director: Andrzej Wajda
  • 1975: Interim balance sheet (Bilans kwartalny) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1976: The Shadow Line (Smuga cienia) - Director: Andrzej Wajda
  • 1977: Camouflage colors (Barwy ochronne) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1978: Spirale (Spirala) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1979: The King and the Bird (Le roi et l'oiseau) - Director: Paul Grimault
  • 1979: Paths in the Night - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1979: Pearls of a Rosary (Paciorki jednego różanca) - Director: Kazimierz Kutz
  • 1979: David - Director: Peter Lilienthal
  • 1980: The bride says no (contract) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1981: From a Far Country - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1981: Coincidence Possibly (Przypadek) - Director: Krzysztof Kieślowski
  • 1982: The Unreachable - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1984: A year of the dormant sun (Rok spokojnego słońca) - directed by Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1985: Chronicle of love accidents (Kronika wypadków miłosnych) - directed by Andrzej Wajda
  • 1985: Paradigm - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1990: The long conversation with the bird - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1990: Korczak - Director: Andrzej Wajda
  • 1991: Life for Life - Maximilian Kolbe (Życie za życie: Maksymilian Kolbe)
  • 1992: Bram Stoker's Dracula (Dracula) - Director: Francis Ford Coppola
  • 1993: The King of the Last Days - Director: Tom Toelle
  • 1994: Death and the Maiden (Death and the Maiden) - Director: Roman Polanski
  • 1996: Cwał - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1996: Portrait of a Lady (The Portrait of a Lady) - Director: Jane Campion
  • 1997: The Color of Life (Our God's Brother) - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 1999: The Ninth Gate (The Ninth Gate) - Director: Roman Polanski
  • 1999: Pan Tadeusz - Director: Andrzej Wajda
  • 2002: Suplement - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 2002: The Pianist (The Pianist) - Director: Roman Polański
  • 2002: Zemsta - Director: Andrzej Wajda
  • 2005: Persona Non Grata - Director: Krzysztof Zanussi
  • 2007: Own the Night (We Own the Night) - Director: James Gray

literature

  • Antonina Machowska: Kilar Wojciech. W: Elżbieta Dziębowska: Encyklopedia muzyczna PWM. T. 5: klł część biograficzna. Kraków: Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne, 1997, pp. 78–83, ISBN 978-83-224-3303-4 . OCLC 164821167. (Polish)

Web links

Commons : Wojciech Kilar  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Camerata Silesia sings Kilar, Booklet, p. 11, 2011, DUX Recording 0856
  2. ↑ Camerata Silesia sings Kilar, Booklet, p. 12, 2011, DUX Recording 0856
  3. ↑ Camerata Silesia sings Kilar, Booklet, p. 13, 2011, DUX Recording 0856
  4. ^ Jacek Marczyński: Wojciech Kilar nie żyje . (= Wojciech Kilar is dead). Rzeczpospolita . Retrieved December 29, 2013
personal data
SURNAME Kilar, Wojciech
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Polish composer
DATE OF BIRTH July 17, 1932
PLACE OF BIRTH Lwów , Poland
DATE OF DEATH December 29, 2013
Place of death Katowice , Poland