Krauze’s compositions include seven operas:
The Star (1981),
Balthazar (2001),
Yvonne, Princess of Burgundy (2004),
Polyeucte (2010),
The Trap (2011),
Olympia of Gdansk (2015) and
Yemaya – The Queen of the Seas (2019). They were staged in such theatres as the National Theater in Mannheim, Theatre National de la Colline in Paris, Staatsoper Theater in Hamburg, Teatr Wielki in Warsaw, Opera Wrocławska, Warszawska Opera Kameralna, Théâtre du Capitole in Toulouse, Opera Bałtycka in Gdańsk. In 2012 a staging of the opera „Polyeucte” received the award of the French Syndicat de la critique Théâtre, Musique et Danse as the best musical creation of the year.
The instrumental forms employed by
Krauze vary from miniatures to symphonic works engaging hundreds of musicians. In his compositions, piano is the instrument given the highest priority. As an actively performing pianist,
Krauze not only composes for this instrument, but also performs his own compositions. This applies both to his early work, such as
Six Folk Melodies (1958), through compositions resulting from experimentation with musical notation (
Five Unitary Piano Pieces 1963,
Triptych 1964), later experiments with the sound of the piano (
Stone Music 1972,
Arabesque 1983,
Adieu 2001), theatrical games (
Gloves Music 1972,
One Piano Eight Hands 1973) and piano concertos (1976, 1996, 2019) where virtuosity is combined with a strong emotional charge. Other important instrumental works include:
Tableau Vivant (1982) for chamber orchestra,
Blanc-rouge / Paysage d’un Pays (1985) for a wind orchestra, a mandolin orchestra, an accordion orchestra and 6 percussions,
Quatuor Pour La Naissance (1985),
Piano Quintet (1993),
Canzona for a chamber orchestra (2011),
Memories of the East (2012) for 80 Chinese instruments and Concerto for accordion and orchestra (2016).
Unitary music is exceptionally important in the list of
Krauze’s work. As he says: „The sound is individual enough to make it possible to distinguish it from the chaos of other music and other sounds. The performed composition has the ability to put time in order. (…) The beginning of each composition immediately exposes the entire range of sounds and during the piece nothing new is introduced. There will be no surprises. (…) This music creates the space for a different way of being perceived. A perfect situation would occur if the music were continually present, the listener came at the time that he or she felt convenient and left when the right moment right to do so was found.” The theoretical base of unitary art comes from the paintings of
Władysław Strzemiński. Examples of Krauze’s unitary music are
Polychromy (1968),
Pieces for Orchestra No. 1 (1969),
String Quartet No. 2 (1970) and
String Quartet No. 3 (1982).
Krauze was the first composer in Poland to employ new performance forms – musical space compositions (installations). He collaborated with architects:
Teresa Kelm in the Contemporary Gallery in Warsaw (1968, 1970), with
Wiesław Nowak and
Jan Muniak in Metz (1987) and in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Łódź, as well as in the natural setting of the Eggenberg Castle in Graz (1974) and the Rohan Palace in Strasburg.
Music for theatre is also present among
Krauze’s compositions. He has been collaborating with
Jorge Lavelli, an Argentinian director living in France, for over three decades. From this collaboration grew musical illustrations to plays staged in the Comédie-Française and in the Theatre National de la Colline in Paris, including
Polyeucte by
Pierre Corneille (1987),
Opérette by
Witold Gombrowicz (1988),
Macbeth by
Eugene Ionesco (1992),
Merlin by
Tankred Dorst (2005),
Oedipus Rex by Sophocles (2008) and
El Avaro by
Moliere.
The last, however, not least important, group of works are choral pieces and songs. The most notable among them are compositions from recent years:
Ball In The Opera (2006) for chamber choir and 12 instruments based on
Julian Tuwim’s text, and
Voyage de Chopin (2010) for a chamber choir a capella, or with an ensemble of folk instruments, based on Chopin’s letters.
Five Songs for Baritone and Piano (2010) is influenced by the poetry of
Tadeusz Różewicz (2010) and
La Terre (1995) for soprano, piano and orchestra, illustrates
Yves Bonnefoy’s poems.
Krauze is often invited to cooperate with foreign cultural institutions. Nearly all of his compositions are commissioned. His most important partners are: the Ministries of Culture of Poland and France, Austrian Radio, Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, Südwestrundfunk Radio in Baden-Baden, the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon, Suntory Limited in Tokyo, the National Theater in Mannheim, Radio France and Polskie Radio. Zygmunt Krauze’s compositions have been performed at numerous music festivals both in Poland and abroad, as well as in renowned concert halls, such as Wiener Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Bellas Artes in Mexico City, Palais de Festival in Cannes and Beethovenshalle in Bonn. Many of his compositions have been recorded and released on records of Polskie Nagrania, DUX, ORF, Nonesuch, Thesis, Musical Observations (CP2), Collins Classics, Warner Classics, Recommended Records, Bôłt Records and EMI.
His music is published by Durand / Universal Classical Music.
Photo : © Adam Stępień / Agencja Gazeta