Wojciech Kilar - Krzesany -Symphonic Poem

The premiere of the symphony poem Krzesany at the Warsaw Autumn Festival became an event that sparked a wave of discussions. Following his period of involvement with avant-garde techniques, the work utilizes a musical language based on the minimalist approach. Its texture is lucid, made up of expressive intonational and rhythmic motifs with folk elements. The opening motif is principal, consisting of three chords in the stringed instruments, and subsequently transformed into different variants. The piece derives its title from the typical dance steps from the Podhale region, including hitting one heel to the other when jumping up. The title Krzesany refers to the various associations that the composer imaginatively realized through various musical technological contrivances: "struck notes" and temperamental motions, etc. The work evoked enthusiastic welcome with the listeners, but professional critique remained in its response. In the 1970s, Kilar found a source of inspiration in the folklore of the highland region, which allowed him to comprehend and formed his own compositional concepts that remained typical of his further work.