# Wojciech Kilar



## Tapkaara

Even though many listeners may be most familiar with the Polish composer Wojciech Kilar's work through his score for Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992), his compositions also include numerous highly successful orchestral works, in addition to many vocal and chamber pieces. Following a rigorous education in Eastern Europe, the composer began to take several prizes, and has continued to do so throughout his career. His formal training in piano and composition began in 1950 at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice with B. Woytowicz and continued with him at the State Higher School of Music in Kraków between 1955 - 1958. During the same period of time (1957), he attended summer classes at Darmstadt. Shortly after he completed his training with Woytowicz, he received a French government scholarship that allowed him to further his education in composition, this time in Paris with Nadia Boulanger (1959 - 1960). The year he finished these studies, his Oda Béla Bartók in memoriam gained him the Lili Boulanger Award. Prizes that followed included the Polish Composer's Union Award (1975), the Polish State Award (1980), the Alfred Jurzykowski Foundation Prize (1984), an ASCAP Award (1992), and the Sonderpreis des Kulturpreis Schlesein des Landes Niedersachsen (1996). 

Kilar's orchestral (symphonies, symphonic poems, concertos, etc.) and stage works (11 scores total) are very widely recorded, the former exclusively under the Milan label and the latter under a wider selection of recording companies like Olympia, Erato, London, Silva Screen, and Varese Sarabande. Of his compositions that have been recorded, most are excerpts from his film scores, which include L'année du soleil calme, La chronique des événements amoureux, Full Gallop (Cwal), Hypothesis (Hipoteza) (1973), Land of Promise (Ziemia Obiecana) (1975), The Portrait of a Lady (1996), and La terre de la grande promesse.

--All Music

He is a great modern composer. Anyone else a fan?


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## bassClef

Yes indeed, he deserves his own guestbook on this forum for sure.

His *Orawa *is a strange beast, I'm not even sure how to categorise it, but it's gripping. *Exodus *also is quite hypnotising, the way it builds - I've read comparisons with Bolero but I find this more enjoyable. The *Dracula* full score is brilliant.


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## Aramis

I'm familiar with ballet _Krzesany_ and many movie scores.

My favourite piece is his famous polonaise from _Pan Tadeusz_:


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## Tapkaara

bassClef said:


> Yes indeed, he deserves his own guestbook on this forum for sure.
> 
> His *Orawa *is a strange beast, I'm not even sure how to categorise it, but it's gripping. *Exodus *also is quite hypnotising, the way it builds - I've read comparisons with Bolero but I find this more enjoyable. The *Dracula* full score is brilliant.


Orawa should be classified as a work fro string orchestra, I would think, because that is exactly what it is. But it's a great one. Those stamping rythyms take inspiration from the traditional dances of Polish highlanders. Very cool stuff.

Exodus is sort of like Bolero, and I agree, I enjoy this work more. Dracula has got to be one of the best film scores ever.


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## Tapkaara

Aramis said:


> I'm familiar with ballet _Krzesany_ and many movie scores.
> 
> My favourite piece is his famous polonaise from _Pan Tadeusz_:


Krzesany is not a ballet as far as I know, but a tone poem...perhaps I am wrong...?


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## Aramis

Tapkaara said:


> Krzesany is not a ballet as far as I know, but a tone poem...perhaps I am wrong...?


There is short ballet _Krzesany_, I'm just not sure if Kilar wrote it as a balled or maybe choreography was made later. Or maybe there is no stricte choreography, there's a traditional dance called krzesany - Kilar's piece is an adaptation, so perhaps there is no ballet, just dancing events connected with the piece.


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## Tapkaara

Aramis said:


> There is short ballet _Krzesany_, I'm just not sure if Kilar wrote it as a balled or maybe choreography was made later. Or maybe there is no stricte choreography, there's a traditional dance called krzesany - Kilar's piece is an adaptation, so perhaps there is no ballet, just dancing events connected with the piece.


I think Krzesany makes reference to a traditional dance of the Polish highlanders. I think this is the dance connection. As far as I know, Kilar's work is strictly a tone poem. If it were a ballet, it would be a very, very short one...!


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## kg4fxg

*In Desperation......*

I checked my library and I have no Wojciech Kilar

I have to follow this thread closely and check some out. Shame on me and my aunt is from Poland. I remember growing up and going to her parents home and they only spoke polish - no english.


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## Tapkaara

kg4fxg said:


> I checked my library and I have no Wojciech Kilar
> 
> I have to follow this thread closely and check some out. Shame on me and my aunt is from Poland. I remember growing up and going to her parents home and they only spoke polish - no english.


Kilar is an interesting guy. He came from the same generation of Polish avant-garde composers like Penderecki and Gorecki. Kilar works at their most avant-garde never pushed the envelope quite as much as the other two, and as he has progressed later in hi career, he has "toned down" quite a bit. His style is very accessible for a modern composer and he has embraced a very minimalist style.

Hopefully you'll have the chance to hear him one day!


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## emiellucifuge

I really like Orawa among other things.


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## TresPicos

I just heard Orawa for the first time today. Extremely cool stuff!


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## Tapkaara

TresPicos said:


> I just heard Orawa for the first time today. Extremely cool stuff!


Orawa is amazing!


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## Head_case

Tapkaara said:


> Kilar is an interesting guy. He came from the same generation of Polish avant-garde composers like Penderecki and Gorecki. Kilar works at their most avant-garde never pushed the envelope quite as much as the other two, and as he has progressed later in hi career, he has "toned down" quite a bit. His style is very accessible for a modern composer and he has embraced a very minimalist style.


Yes ~ this is the 'Vintage 33' group of Polish catholic composers - Gorecki; Kilar, Baird, Penderecki - all who were born around the same vintage.

Their liturgical music is all strikingly unique; nothing sounds like Gorecki's Totuus/Beatus Vir, nor anything like Kilar's Angelus/Orawa/Koscielec 1909 and Krzesany or Baird's interior 'Psychodrama' or Penderecki's mess of a composition.

Of Kilar's music, he is one of the few composers whose music for film works I seem to have acquired (the other is Preisner) - "Portrait of a Lady"; Dracula", "The love affairs of Andrzej Wajda" and "Illuminations".

Now I wish he'd get on and write some decent string quartets :angry:


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## Aramis

Had his piano concerto recently and it stroke me as extreme kitsch. Totally unlistenable, something like Rautauvatuaraata or what was name of this Finnish guy - simple (minimalist?) pseudo-modern piece with most trivial and banal "romantic" sound.

And Orawa is attempt to write under influence of folk music from Tatra highlanders, but considering general quality of his music I would say that for such climates it's far better to get Szymanowski's 4th symphony or Harnasie, it's shares this influence and specific character but is written far, far better. No comparison, really.


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## Headphone Hermit

Poor chap died just before the New Year on the 29th Dec, aged 81 following a long illness

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-25542530


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## Xaltotun

Some years ago I used a radio set to a classical station as a morning alarm. For some bizarre reason, the station quite often played a piece by Kilar during early morning... the piece was called "Mother of God" or something like that, I remember freaking out at least twice when hearing that piece first thing in the morning, it was quite possibly the darkest, most insane music I had ever heard. Hearing that in a completely dark room, trying to shake off sleep... brrr... even reminiscing about it sends shivers up my spine.


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## MusicSybarite

Xaltotun said:


> Some years ago I used a radio set to a classical station as a morning alarm. For some bizarre reason, the station quite often played a piece by Kilar during early morning... the piece was called "Mother of God" or something like that, I remember freaking out at least twice when hearing that piece first thing in the morning, it was quite possibly the darkest, most insane music I had ever heard. Hearing that in a completely dark room, trying to shake off sleep... brrr... even reminiscing about it sends shivers up my spine.


That work sounds interesting. :devil:


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