Kilar, Wojciech
Kilar, Wojciech
Kilar, Wojciech, Polish composer and pianist; b. Lwów, July 17, 1932. He received training in piano and composition from Boleslaw Woytowicz at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice (degree, 1955), and then pursued postgraduate studies with that same mentor at the State Higher School of Music in Krakow (1955–58). He also attended the summer courses in new music in Darmstadt in 1957. A French government scholarship made it possible for him to study composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris in 1959-60. He received the Minister of Culture and Arts Award in 1967 and 1975, the Polish Composers’ Union Award in 1975, the Polish State Award, 1st Class, in 1980, the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize of N.Y. in 1984, an AS-CAP Award in 1992, and the Sonderpreis des Kulturpreis Schlesein des Landes Niedersachsen in 1996.
Works
dramatic: 11 film scores (1965–99). orch.: 2 syms.: No. I for Strings (1955; Poznan, Feb. 8, 1957) and No. 2, Sinfonia concertante for Piano and Orch. (1956; Katowice, April 23, 1958); Mata uwertura (Little Overture; Katowice, June 25, 1955); Concerto for 2 Pianos and Percussion Orch. (Katowice, Dec. 16, 1958); Riff 62 (Warsaw, Sept. 16, 1962); Générique (Warsaw, Sept. 24, 1963); Springfield Sonnet (Stockholm, Sept. 6, 1965); Solenne (1967; Warsaw, Sept. 22, 1968); Przygrywka i Meda (Prelude and Christmas Carol) for 4 Oboes and Strings (Warsaw, Sept. 16, 1972); Krzesany, symphonic poem (Warsaw, Sept. 24, 1974); Koscielec 1909, symphonic poem (Warsaw, Nov. 5, 1976); Orawa for Chamber String Orch. (Zakopane, March 10, 1986); Choralvorspiel for Chamber String Orch. (1988; Stuttgart, Sept. 22, 1989); Piano Concerto (1996-97; Warsaw, Sept. 27, 1997). chamber: Flute Sonatina (1951; Warsaw, Sept. 9, 1953); Wind Quintet (1952; Warsaw, Nov. 9, 1953); Horn Sonata (Warsaw, Nov. 22, 1954); Oda Bela Bartók in memoriam for Violin, Winds, and Percussion (1957; Katowice, Dec. 1958); Training 68 for Clarinet, Trombone, Cello, and Piano (Warsaw, Sept. 25, 1968). Piano: 3 Preludes (1951). vocal:Herbsttag for Woman’s Voice and String Quartet (1960; Warsaw, Sept. 24, 1961); Diphthongos for Chorus and Orch. (Venice, Sept. 13, 1964); Upstairs-Downstairs for 2 Children’s Choruses and Orch. (Warsaw, Sept. 25, 1971); Bogurodzica (Mother of God) for Chorus and Orch. (1975; Warsaw, Sept. 18, 1976); Siwa mgta (Hoary Fog) for Baritone and Orch. (Bydgoszcz, Sept. 14, 1979); Exodus for Chorus and Orch. (1979-81; Warsaw, Sept. 19, 1981); Angelus for Soprano, Chorus, and Orch. (1982-84; Katowice, Oct. 12, 1984); Victoria for Chorus and Orch. (Katowice, June 20, 1983).
—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire