Krauze, Zygmunt

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Krauze, Zygmunt

Krauze, Zygmunt, Polish composer and pianist; b. Warsaw, Sept. 19, 1938. He was a student in piano of Maria Wilkomirska (graduated, 1962) and in composition of Kazimierz Sikorski (degree, 1964) at the State Higher School of Music in Warsaw, and then completed his training in composition with Nadia Boulanger in Paris on a French government scholarship (1966–67). In 1957 he won 1st prize in the Polish National Competition for performers of contemporary piano music, and in 1966 he took 1st prize in the Gaudeamus Competition in Utrecht for interpreters of contemporary music. From 1963 he made tours of Europe and the U.S., mainly as an exponent of contemporary scores. In 1967 he founded the Warsaw Music Workshop, a new music ensemble that gave over 100 premieres of contemporary works until disbanding in 1988. In 1973-74 he was in Berlin under the auspices of the Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst. He became artistic advisor to IRCAM in Paris in 1982. From 1987 to 1990 he was president of the ISCM, and from 1989 he was president of the Polish section of the ISCM. He lectured extensively on contemporary music in Europe, the U.S., Israel, and Japan. In 1975 he was honored with the Silver Cross of Merit of the Polish government, in 1988 he was made a Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres of France, in 1988 he received the Polish Composers’ Union Award, in 1989 he won the Minister of Culture and Arts Award, and in 1994 he was given the Gold Chopin Medal of the Chopin Soc. of Warsaw.

Works

dramatic:Gwiazda (The Star), chamber opera (1981; Mannheim, April 7, 1982; rev. as a 1-act opera, Wroclaw, June 12, 1994). orch.:Piece No. 1 (1969; Wroclaw, Feb. 19, 1970), No. 2 (1970; Berlin, March 21, 1974), and No. 3 (Metz, Nov. 21, 1982); Folk Music (Warsaw, Sept. 17, 1972); Fête galante et pastorale for 6 Instrumental Groups and 13 Tapes (Graz, Oct. 12, 1974; also for 4 Soloists and Orch., Warsaw, Sept. 25, 1975, and for 13 Instrumental Groups, 5 Voices, and 13 Tapes, Strasbourg, Sept. 23, 1984); 2 piano concertos: No. 1 (Donaueschingen, Oct. 23, 1976) and No. 2 (Tokyo, Oct. 30, 1996); Suite de danses et de chansons for Harpsichord and Orch. (Bonn, Dec. 12, 1977); Violin Concerto (Lisbon, June 7, 1980); Tableau vivant for Chamber Orch. (Vienna, Nov. 29, 1982); Arabesque for Piano and Orch. (1983; Paris, Jan. 7, 1984); Blanc-rouge (Paysage d’un pays) for 2 Orch. Groups of Winds, Mandolin Orch., Accordion Orch., and 6 Percussion (Strasbourg, Sept. 29, 1985); Double Concerto for Violin, Piano, and Orch. (1985; Paris, Oct. 1988); Symfonia parysL• (Symphonie Parisienne) for Chamber Orch. (Paris, Nov. 17, 1986); Rhapsod for Strings (Warsaw, Nov. 22, 1995). chamber: Reed Trio for Oboe, Clarinet, and Bassoon (1958); Liczby pierwsze (Prime Numbers) for 2 Violins (Warsaw, Oct. 30, 1961); Pantuny Mala-jskie (Malay Pantuns) for 3 Flutes and Mezzo-soprano (Warsaw, Oct. 25, 1961); 3 string quartets: No. 1 (Warsaw, Sept. 26, 1965), No. 2 (1970; Warsaw, Sept. 15, 1979), and No. 3 (1982; Paris, Jan. 24, 1983); Entrée for Clarinet, Trombone, Cello, and Piano (1968); Polichromia for Clarinet, Trombone, Cello, and Piano (London, Feb. 22, 1968); Voices for 15 Optional Instruments (1972; Berlin, March 6, 1974); Aus aller Welt stammende for 5 Violins, 3 Violas, and 2 Cellos (Innsbruck, March 7, 1973); Song for 4 to 6 Optional Melodic Instruments (Baden-Baden, Feb. 28, 1974); Idyll for 4 Folk Instrumentalists and Tape (Graz, Nov. 30, 1974); Soundscape for 4 Instrumental Soloists and Tape (1975; Graz, Oct. 17, 1976); Quatuor pour la naissance for Clarinet, Violin, Cello, and Piano (1984; Paris, Nov. 19, 1985); Je préfère qu’il chante for Bassoon (1984; Nice, Feb. 3, 1985); Rivière Souterraine for Clarinet, Trombone, Cello, Piano, Percussion, Guitar, Accordion, and 7 Tapes (Metz, Nov. 19, 1987; also for 7 Tapes, Metz, Nov. 19, 1987); Siegfried und Siegmund for Cello and Piano (1988); For Alfred Schlee with Admiration for String Quartet (Vienna, Nov. 18, 1991); Piano Quintet (Lodz, Nov. 25, 1993); Terra incognita for 10 Strings and Piano (Bonn, May 16, 1994); Pastorale for Flute, Oboe, Clarinet, Bassoon, and Horn (Budapest, Oct. 1, 1995). keyboard: piano: 3 Preludes (1956); 5 Pieces (1958); Praeludium, intermezzo, postludium (1958); 2 Inventions (1958); 6 Folk Melodies (1958); 7 Interludes (1958); Sonatina (1958); 3 Studies (1958); Theme With Variations (1958); Monodia ifuga (1959); 4 Dances (1959); Ohne Kontraste (1960); 5 Unistic Pieces (Krakow, May 8, 1963); Tryptyk (Warsaw, June 22, 1964); Esquisse (1966-67; Warsaw, Sept. 20, 1967); Fallingwater (Malmo, Oct. 15, 1971); Stone Music (1972); Gloves Music (1972); One Piano Eight Hands for 4 Pianists at One Upright Piano Out of Tune (Witten, April 28, 1973); Music Box Waltz (Chicago, March 1978); Ballade (Cologne, June 19, 1978); From Keyboard toScore (Zagreb, March 29, 1987); Nightmare Tango (1987; Amsterdam, Aug. 31, 1991); La chanson de mal-aimé (1990; Geneva, Sept. 15, 1991); Blue Jay Way (1990; Warsaw, Sept. 28, 1991); Refren (Refrain; Schleswig-Holstein, Aug. 2, 1993). organ:Dipty-chos (Vienna, July 10, 1981). harpsichord:Commencement (Paris, March 5, 1982). vocal:Pocztówka gór (Postcard from the Mountains) for Soprano and 8 Instruments (Bolzano, Nov. 14, 1988); La Terre for Soprano, Piano, and Orch. (1995; Paris, Feb. 24, 1996); Trois chansons for 16 Voices (Warsaw, May 10, 1997). other:Spatial Music Composition No. 1 for 6 Tapes (Warsaw, Oct. 1968) and No. 2 for 2 Tapes (Warsaw, Oct. 1970); Automatophone for 15 Mechanical Instruments and 15 Plucked Instruments (Berlin, Oct. 6, 1974; also for 3 or More Mandolins, 3 or More Guitars, and 3 or More Music Boxes, Warsaw, Sept. 18, 1976).

—Nicolas Slonimsky/Laura Kuhn/Dennis McIntire