Relief I (KRZANOWSKI ANDRZEJ)

Par KRZANOWSKI ANDRZEJ. The cycle of nine Reliefs was written between 1984 and 1989, during the last period in Andrzej Krzanowski?s life, and it provides further evidence of his interest in the fine arts, which he exploited in his compositional work. The sculpture technique enabling an artist to create bas reliefs of varying degrees of convexity, for which the raw material is so important, is faithfully reflected in Relief II, where the accordion offers such possibilities for shaping the sound, dynamics, timbre and articulation that the narrative pursued in this work, involving the expansion and contraction of sound streams and the consistent processing of the raw material (whole tone ? semitone scale), creates a ?musical relief ?. This is not a dramatic or virtuosic work. Time flows slowly, on low, subtly fluctuating dynamic levels, the bands of sounds that form streams of varying density are written solely by means of horizontal lines, stretched out across regular bar lines that measure out the time, and the static unfolding of the music is enriched solely with vibrations. The sounds alternately overlap and fade. Sometimes they occur in imitation, and self-contained chords appear incidentally. The contemplation of time, multi-level structuring, subtlety and? dedication to the brilliant Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa account for the popular name of this work ? ?Japanese?. Fragment of preface Grazyna Krzanowska translated by John Comber / Date parution : 2022-11-08/ Recueil / Accordéon

Par KRZANOWSKI ANDRZEJ. Despite the rich palette of colours and articulation, Relief IX is a static work, and its slowed narrative creates the impression of being stretched out over time, thereby leading the listener into an unreal, unfamiliar world. This composition has often been described as a surrealistic and contemplative work. As Andrzej Chlopecki wrote: ‘[Relief IX] directs its expression towards sur-real realms, departing from the composer’s previous strategies’. This work was written to commission for the Polish Realities festival in Glasgow (hence its nickname: Relief IX (‘Scottish’). The tape component was recorded in collaboration with David MacKenzie of Glasgow University’s Electronic Music Studio. That is also where the work was first performed, by the Paragon Ensemble and BEAST group under the direction of David Davies, on 19 November 1988. The first Polish presentation of Relief IX was given by the Silesian Quartet on 16 September 1989 during the 32nd ‘Warsaw Autumn’ International Festival of Contemporary Music. Relief IX was dedicated to Józef Patkowski, who founded Polish Radio’s Experimental Studio, and to the ‘Warsaw Autumn’ festival. Grazyna Krzanowska translated by John Comber / Date parution : 2022-11-08/ Répertoire / Quatuor à Cordes et Enregistrement

Par KRZANOWSKI ANDRZEJ. Composed in Czechowice-Dziedzice, in 1984, Relief I for accordion opens a cycle of nine works for solo or chamber forces. This work is of a sarcastic character, and its multi-segmented form consists of the alternating of dissonant ?quick? segments, dominated by sevenths, with two-part dolce segments led in contrary motion, as well as series of chords repeated with a surprising nebbioso (nebulous). Relief I is a work full of nervous tension, meticulously built up, and broken variant phrases, with a striking conclusion on a falling cluster, ending with an F sharp major chord ? like the many faces of a clown: thumbing its nose, sneering, reflective, mocking, pulling silly faces and? triumphing. This composition was dedicated to friends from France ? the Menards and their children. It was first performed by the composer during the Summer Courses for New Music in Darmstadt, in August 1988. / Date parution : 2022-11-08/ Recueil / Accordéon