Born in 1943 in Cracow, he studied composition at the city's State Higher School of Music, initially with Stanisław Wiechowicz and, after Wiechowicz's death, with Krzysztof Penderecki. He also studied composition and piano with Nadia Boulanger in France (1964, 1966 and 1968). In 1966-68 he appeared as a pianist with the contemporary music group mw2 Ensemble.
After graduation he took up teaching. From 1966 to 1987 he taught at the Music Academy in Cracow, serving as its Deputy Rector (1972-75) and Head of the Department of Music Theory (1975-87). Since 1987 he has been a professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. He has also lectured on contemporary music in many countries.
He is the author of the first Polish monograph on Shostakovich (its new, enlarged edition, published in 1999, has been translated into several languages, including Russian).
In 1985-89 he served as President of the Main Board of the Polish Composers' Union. He is a member of Akademie der Künste in Mannheim. In 1991-92 he was composer-in-residence with the Cologne Philharmonic Orchestra and in 1996 at the Seattle Festival.
Krzysztof Meyer is a winner of numerous awards and distinctions, including the Gottfried-von-Herder-Preis (1984), the annual Award of the Polish Composers' Union (1992), the Alfred Jurzykowski Award (New York, 1993) and the Johann-Stamitz-Preis (Mannheim 1996).Selected works (since 1980): String Quartets Nos. 6-11 (1981, 1985, 1985, 1989, 1994, 2001), Symphony No. 6 (1982), Flute Concerto No. 2 (1983), Violin Concerto No. 2 (1996), Cello Concertos Nos. 2 and 3 (1984, 1995), The Gamblers, a completion of Shostakovich's opera after Gogol (1981), Piano Trio (1981), Canzona for cello and piano (1981), Hommage a Johannes Brahms for orchestra (1982), Sonata for Cello and Piano (1983), Concerto for Harp and Cello (1984), Clarinet Quintet (1986), Musica incrostata for orchestra (1988), Vielitchalnaya for a cappella choir (1988), Maple Brothers, opera for children after B. Szwarc (1989), Piano Concerto (1989), Piano Quintet (1991), Concerto for Saxophone (1992), String Trio (1993), Misterioso for violin and piano (1994), Mass for mixed choir and orchestra (1996), Farewell Music for orchestra (1997), Clarinet Trio (1998), The Creation, oratorio (1999), Capriccio interrotto for violin and piano (2000), Impromptu multicolore for two pianos (2000), Cinque colori for flute, violin, cello, percussion and piano (2001), Clarinet Concerto (2001).Clarinet Concerto. In the 1980s I met Eduard Brunner, the outstanding Swiss clarinettist. He became one of my musical friends who have exerted the most profound inspiration on my music. Suffice it to say that I have composed as many as three pieces with his performing skills in mind: the Clarinet Quintet, the Clarinet Trio and the Concerto. This last piece was written two years ago, following a commission from the Duisburg Orchestra for a work marking its 125th anniversary.
The Concerto is in four movements. The first is an expanded cadenza for the soloist, which is joined by the orchestra relatively late and almost imperceptibly. From the point of view of overall dramatic structure, this movement constitutes a separate whole. The remaining three movements are performed attacca, thus forming a broad dramaturgical arch around the central adagio. The virtuoso finale, played at break-neck tempo, places high requirements on the soloist. The work is brought to a close with musical material, which refers to the opening cadenza
The Concerto had its premiere on 5 June 2002 in Duisburg. The solo part was performed by Eduard Brunner, to whom the piece is dedicated. The orchestra was conducted by Antoni Wit.
Krzysztof Meyer