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Born in 1929 in Lviv; he studied with Artur Malawski (composition)
and Zdzis1aw Jachimecki (musicology). He has been composing since he was
seventeen. During 57 years of the intense creative work (also in drama) he
has written over 460 compositions and 44 theatre plays. He creates music
of all kind: from symphonic and solo (over 20 concertos), through sacred
music and jazz, to musical dramas and electroacoustic works.
Selected works (since 1999): Piano Concerto No. 4
(1999), Ave Maria for soprano and orchestra (1999), Konzertstück for
cello and orchestra (1999), Missa in honorem Beatae Virginis Mariae for
voices and orchestra (1999), Monophonie VI for 17 saxophone players
(1999), Concerto for Chamber Orchestra (1999), Das Leben einer Stadt for
solo instruments, three sopranos and orchestra (1999), Violin Concerto No.
3 (1999), Concerto for two saxophone players and orchestra (1999), Four
Psalms for choir, soprano solo, soprano saxophone and orchestra (1999),
Six Etudes for string quartet (1999), Zeitebenen for piano and electronic
media (2000), Sinfonia breve for chamber orchestra (2000), Model XX
Ballade for piano (2000), Zwölf Stücke for string quartet (2000), De
profundis for soprano and chamber orchestra (2000), Prolegomena for
chamber orchestra (2000), Nine Studies on Themes of Max Ernst for chamber
orchestra (2000), SeaHarb for saxophone and oboe (2000), Convocationes for
orchestra (2000), Piano Trio (2000), Si quaeris miracula for soprano and
orchestra (2000), Concerto for Vibraphone and Chamber Orchestra (2001),
Cantico di Zaccaria for six vocal soloists (2001), Monophonie VIII for
orchestra of 48 violinists (2001), Concerto for Saxophone, Piano and
Orchestra (2001), Two Songs for soprano, flute, cello and piano (2001),
Dialogue for flute and cello (2001), Concerto for Harp and
Orchestra(2002), Per Violino Solo (2002), Piano Concerto No. 5 for piano
and choir (2002), Concerto for Celesta and Chamber Orchestra (2002),
Petite piece for solo bass sarrusophone (2002), Mikrotonale Ballade for
four cellos (2003), Scherzo for saxophone and piano (2003), BlueS VI for
piano, jazz-set, double-bass and choir (2003), Violin Concerto No. 4
(2003), Bewegte Stille for piano and computer (2003), Die abstrakte
Nachtigall for solo saxophone (2003), Model XXII for piano (2003), Trio
for saxophone, piano and tape (2003), Deux contes(tabilités) for violin
and piano (2003).
Violin Concerto No. 4
I wrote First Violin Concerto forty years ago. It has arisen quite a long
time (with long intervals, while I was writing other pieces). For me as
a violinist it was an exciting adventure; I produced then an enormous
amount of sketches and invented a special graphic notation for solo violin,
in three colours (later published). It was music for the initiated one
of them appeared to be the Canadian violinist Hyman Bress, who forced me
to make the orchestral parts (and it is worth stressing that at that time
photocopy was not known in Poland).
This, Fourth Concerto is written for three violins accompanied by
a deliberately small orchestra, as I wanted all nuances performed by the
soloist Frank Stadler to be heard by the listeners interested in the
experiment. The soloist plays (in turn, of course) three different
instruments: standard (very precious, by the way) and two re-tuned
moreover, with untypical strings. I called these instruments OGasab1 and
ODesef1 it is easy to discover that both names refer to their tuning.
Violin OGasab1 has two G and two A strings, and is re-tuned to G and A
flat, and also to A and B flat. Violin ODesef1 has two D and two E strings,
and is re-tuned to
D and E flat, and to E and F so, it is higher than the former.
On the both re-tuned violins the ex-fifths (typical for violin) became
minor seconds or (in case of middle strings) minor ninths. Re-tuning,
that is scordatura, is a well-known device but nobody thought that it can
change the harmonic instrument into the ultra-dissonant one. To give an
example has anybody heard a fast passage of minor seconds or ninths?
And such virtuosity is possible on these two instruments. The list of
sound and textural consequences is long, so I will only say that in the
new century we can still experiment and it is worth doing it.
The new Violin Concerto consists of seven movements: the soloist plays
both outer movements as well as the central one using a standard, Onormal1
violin, and the other movements symmetrically using re-tuned
instruments. The soloist is accompanied by other instruments: winds,
strings (one player for each group), harp, piano and two percussionists,
using many un-tuned instruments which help to create a special atmosphere
of the piece: strongly dissonant, non-harmonic in evoking murmur sounds
and (I have to emphasize this) far distant from the usual accompaniment.
The soloist is extremely important here about two/third of musical
substance is in his hands. The soloist and his interpretation is carefully
listened to and watched by the accompanying musicians, who follow his solo
part in performing their own parts (rather short and episodic ones) the
idea not known in the history of solo concerto, the genre which in our
times still can show its liveliness.
Bogus1aw Schaeffer
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