Zbigniew Preisner is Poland's leading film music composer and is considered to be one of the most outstanding film composers of his generations.
Among many recent awards and citations Preisner received the Silver Bear from the Berlin Festival in 1997, two Césars from the French Film Academy - one in 1996 for Jean Becker's Elisa, and one in 1995 for Three Colours Red - and three consecutive citations as the year's most outstanding composer of film music in The Los Angeles Critics Association Awards of 1991, 1992 and 1993. Preisner is a member of the French Film Academy and in 1992 he received the Award from the Minister of Foreign Affairs for outstanding achievements in the presentation of Polish Culture abroad.
Requiem for my friend is Preisner's first large-scale work specially written for recording and live performance.
"Once we had a joint conception to create a concert telling a life story. The premiere was planned to take place on the Acropolis in Athens. It was intended to be a large event, a hybrid of a mystery play and opera. Krzysztof Kieslowski would be the director, Krzysztof Piesiewicz was responsible for the script, and I was planning to compose the music. Once, we thought it might be the first of a series of musical performances, to be developed in various interesting places around the world in the next few years. But it was life that authored a different ending: Krzysztof Kieslowski died on 13th March 1996.
The first part of the Requiem for my friend is meant as a farewell to Krzysztof Kieslowski. I dedicate this music to him." Zbigniew Preisner
(The text is taken from the booklet of the CD)
The Requiem for my friend is one of my favourite Requiems. Thank you for this masterwork.
The CD was released by ERATO, 1998 (DDD). 3984-24146-2.
Soprano: Elzbieta Towarnicka
Countertenors: Dariusz Paradowski, Piotr Lykowski
Tenor: Piotr Kusiewicz
Bass: Grzegorz Zychowicz
Additional Tenor: Mariusz Koluch
Voice: Dorota Slezak
Varsov Chamber Choir, Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra, Organ: Jan Szypowski, Conductor: Part One - Roman Rewakowicz, Part Two - Jacek Kaspszyk
Part One recorded in Warsaw Cathedral and the Emaus Church in Cracow (Dec 1997), Part Two recorded and mixed in Studio S2/S4, Polish Radio, Warsaw (Feb. 1998) and in the Emaus Church in Cracow (Dec 1997 and Feb 1998)
Track List:
- PART ONE: REQUIEM - Officium (3'46")
- Kyrie Eleison (6'12")
- Dies Irae (4'51")
- Offertorium (3'19")
- Sanctus (2'51")
- Agnus Dei (1'49")
- Lux Aeterna (1'56")
- Lacrimosa (3'24")
- Epitaphium (3'03")
- PART TWO: LIFE - The Beginning - Meeting (5'18")
- Discovering the world (2'50")
- Love (2'24")
- Destiny - Kai Kairos (9'43")
- Apocalypse - Ascende huc (2'18")
- Veni et vidi (2'45")
- Qui erat et qui est (4'26")
- Lacrimosa - Day of tears (4'03")
- Postscriptum - Prayer (3'16")
