Krzysztof Meyer


Krzysztof Meyer is a Polish composer, pianist, and music scholar, formerly dean of the Department of Music Theory at the State College of Music, and president of the Polish Composers' Union. Meyer was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne from 1987 to 2008, before his retirement.

Biography

Meyer was born in Kraków, Poland. As a boy he played piano and organ, and he began his composition study early – in 1954, with Stanisław Wiechowicz. Then, at the State College of Music in Kraków, he continued studying with Wiechowicz, and after the latter's death in 1963, did his diploma with Krzysztof Penderecki. He also studied music theory. In Paris, he took courses with Nadia Boulanger and, in Warsaw, he became a private pupil of Witold Lutosławski.
His Symphony No. 1 was his first work to be performed, in Kraków in 1964. In 1965, while still a student, he made his debut at the "Warsaw Autumn", as the youngest composer in the festival's history. He was fascinated with the avant-garde, not only as a composer: from 1965 to 1967, as a member of MW2 Ensemble, he performed experimental pieces, typical for the 1960s, in Poland and in some West European countries. Later, he continued to be active as a pianist, performing mostly his own works, or playing chamber music.
From 1966 to 1987, Meyer taught theory at the State College of Music, holding the chairmanship of the Department of Music Theory from 1972 to 1975. From 1987 to 2008, he was professor of composition at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne.
From 1985 and 1989, he was the president of the Union of Polish Composers. For 14 years, he took part in the work of the Repertory Committee of the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music. He is a Fellow of Collegium Invisibile.

Music

In his early compositions, Meyer experimented with unconventional sonorities, typical of the Polish avant-garde music in the 1960s. He used twelve-tone technique, albeit freely, as well as aleatoric technique and collage. All of these appear in his first opera, Cyberiada, to a science-fiction libretto after Stanisław Lem's The Cyberiad.
In later works, Meyer gradually limited the multitude of sonic ideas. He increasingly focussed on the drama and expression as understood in a traditional way although avoiding romantic effects. The style of Meyer's later works reflects his interest in tradition; even his use of titles such as "string quartet", "sonata", "concerto", "symphony" are indicators of the traditional trend in his aesthetic. "There are contemporary textures and timbres, but they are usually incidental to a language in which tonal pulls and familiar signposts govern the overall flow and structure."
Chamber music occupies a privileged place in his output. "What is attractive to him in such pieces is the fact that they are perfect to create 'sonic puzzles', referring to the 'hidden arithmetic exercise of the soul, which does not know that it is counting', as Leibnitz described the essence of music. Examples of these are the variation of the tempi in String Quartet No. 11 or the changes of rhythm in String Quartet No. 10. Some pieces for large ensembles can be listened to as a musical commentary to a political event or existential reflection. These topics are hinted at by the subtitles and quotations or the use of the text. The catastrophic message of the oratorio The Creation of the World is told through the text but its expression is achieved through the music."

Selected awards

  • First Prize for Symphony No. 3 at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composers' Competition
  • Prix de Composition Musicale of the Prince Pierre de Monaco Foundation for opera Cyberiada
  • Special Mention at Tribune Internationale des Compositeurs UNESCO in Paris for String Quartet No. 2 and String Quartet No. 3
  • First Prize at the Karol Szymanowski Competition in Warsaw for Symphony No. 4
  • Herder Prize
  • Award of the Union of Polish Composers
  • Jurzykowski Prize
  • Johann-Stamitz-Preis

Selected works

Stage works

Works for orchestra

  • 9 symphonies:
  • Fireballs, Op. 37
  • Symphony in D major in Mozartean style, Op. 41
  • Hommage à Johannes Brahms, Op. 59
  • Musica incrostata, Op. 70
  • Farewell Music, Op. 88

Works for solo instrument(s) and orchestra

  • 2 Flute concertos
  • 2 Violin concertos
  • 2 Cello concertos
  • Concerto da camera for oboe, percussion and strings, Op. 29
  • Concerto for trumpet and orchestra, Op. 35
  • Concerto for piano, Op. 46
  • Canti Amadei per violoncello ed orchestra, Op. 63
  • Concerto da camera for harp, cello and string orchestra, Op. 64
  • Caro Luigi per 4 violoncelli ed orchestra d'archi, Op. 73
  • Concerto for alto saxophone and string orchestra, Op. 79
  • Concerto for clarinet and orchestra, Op. 96
  • Double concerto for violin, violoncello and orchestra, Op. 105
  • Concerto for guitar, timpani and string orchestra, Op. 115

Vocal works

  • Symphony No. 2 Epitaphium Stanisław Wiechowicz in memoriam for choir and orchestra, Op. 14
  • Symphony No. 3 Symphonie d'Orphée for choir and orchestra, Op. 20
  • Lyric Triptych for tenor and chamber orchestra, Op. 38
  • Mass for mixed choir and orchestra, Op. 68
  • Velichalnaya for mixed choir, Op. 71
  • Creation, oratorio for soli, choir and orchestra, Op. 91
  • Symphony No. 8 Sinfonia da requiem for choir and orchestra, Op. 111

Chamber music

For two instruments

Violin and piano:
  • Misterioso for violin and piano, Op. 83
  • Capriccio interrotto for violin and piano, Op. 93
Cello and piano:
  • Canzona per violoncello e pianoforte, Op. 56
  • Two sonatas for cello and piano
Other combinations:
  • Impromptu multicolore for two pianos, Op. 92
  • Duetti concertanti for bassoon and piano, Op. 101
  • Metamorphoses for saxophone and piano, Op. 102

For three instruments

  • Hommage à Nadia Boulanger for flute, viola and harp, Op. 17
  • Piano Trio, Op. 50
  • Trio for flute, viola and guitar, Op. 78
  • String Trio, Op. 81
  • Trio for clarinet, violin and piano, Op. 90
  • Trio for oboe, bassoon and piano, Op. 98

For four instruments

  • 15 String Quartets
  • Quattro colori for clarinet, trombone, 'cello and piano, Op. 24
  • Concerto retro for flute, violin, violoncello and harpsichord, Op. 39
  • Piano Quartet, Op. 112

For five or more instruments

  • Clarinet Quintet, Op. 66
  • Capriccio per sei strumenti, Op. 69
  • Piano Quintet, Op. 76
  • Cinque colori for flute, violin, violoncello, percussion and piano, Op. 94

Instrumental music

For piano solo

  • 6 Sonatas for Piano
  • 24 Preludes for piano, Op. 43
  • Quasi una Fantasia for piano, Op. 104
  • 6 intermezzi for piano, Op. 121

For other keyboards

  • Sonata for harpsichord, Op. 30

For violin solo

  • 2 Violin sonatas
Other works:
  • 6 Preludes for violin solo

For cello solo

  • Two Sonatas for Cello
  • Moment musical
  • Monologue

For flute solo

  • Sonata per flauti soli, Op. 52

Essays and professional writings

  • Krzysztof Meyer, Schostakowitsch – Sein Leben, sein Werk, seine Zeit, Bergisch Gladbach 1995; also: Paris 1994, Amsterdam 1996, Madrid 1997, St Petersburg 1998, Warsaw 1999, Moscow 2006, Mainz 2008.
  • Krzysztof Meyer, Witold Lutosławski, Cracow 2003, 2004
  • Krzysztof Meyer, Dmitri Schostakowitch. Erfahrungen, Leipzig 1983
  • Krzysztof Meyer, Prokofjew und Schostakowitsch, in: Bericht über das internationale Symposion "Sergej Prokofjew – Aspekte seines Werkes und der Biographie", Regensburg 1993, pp. 111–133
  • Krzysztof Meyer, Analyse musikalischer Form in psychologischer Hinsicht, in: Musikpädagogik als Aufgabe, Kassel 2003
  • and numerous articles published in Poland and abroad.

Literature

  • B. M. Maciejewski: 12 Polish Composers. Allegro Press. London, 1976, p. 202-206.
  • L. Rappoport-Gelfand: Musical Life in Poland. The Postwar Years 1945-1977. Gordon & Breach, New York etc. 1991, p. 133-141.