Role

:

Composer Conductor

Birth

:

in Philadelphia, PA

Period

:

Contemporary

 

 

Modern

Genre

:

Chamber

 

 

Vocal

 

Jan Krzywicki was a Polish-American composer who was born on January 22, 1948, in Warsaw, Poland. He was the son of a prominent Polish composer, Tadeusz Krzywicki, who was a professor at the Warsaw Conservatory. Jan grew up in a musical family and began playing the piano at a young age. He showed a natural talent for music and began composing his own pieces when he was just a teenager. In 1968, Jan and his family emigrated to the United States and settled in New York City. He continued his musical education at the Manhattan School of Music, where he studied composition with John Corigliano and David Diamond. He also studied piano with Constance Keene and chamber music with Felix Galimir. Krzywicki's early works were heavily influenced by the avant-garde music of the 1960s and 1970s. He experimented with atonal and serial techniques, and his music was often characterized by its complexity and dissonance. However, as he matured as a composer, he began to incorporate more tonal elements into his music, and his style became more accessible to audiences. One of Krzywicki's most notable works is his Symphony No. 1, which he composed in 1976. The piece is a large-scale work for orchestra that is divided into four movements. The first movement is marked by its driving rhythms and dissonant harmonies, while the second movement is more lyrical and introspective. The third movement is a scherzo that features a playful, dance-like theme, and the final movement is a grand, triumphant finale. Krzywicki's Symphony No. 1 was well-received by critics and audiences alike, and it helped establish him as a major figure in the contemporary classical music scene. He went on to compose several other large-scale works for orchestra, including his Symphony No. 2, which he composed in 1983. This piece is more tonal than his earlier works and features lush, romantic melodies and harmonies. In addition to his orchestral works, Krzywicki also composed a number of chamber music pieces. One of his most notable chamber works is his String Quartet No. 1, which he composed in 1979. The piece is a complex, multi-movement work that showcases Krzywicki's skill at writing for string instruments. The quartet has been performed by many of the world's leading string quartets and is considered one of Krzywicki's most important works. Krzywicki was also a prolific composer of vocal music. He wrote several operas, including The Last Supper, which he composed in 1987. The opera is a retelling of the biblical story of the Last Supper, and it features a large cast of singers and a full orchestra. The piece is notable for its dramatic intensity and emotional power. Krzywicki's music has been performed by many of the world's leading orchestras and ensembles, including the New York Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the London Symphony Orchestra. He was the recipient of numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. Krzywicki was also a respected music educator. He taught composition at the Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, and he was a visiting professor at several other universities and conservatories. He was known for his dedication to his students and his ability to inspire them to reach their full potential as composers. Jan Krzywicki passed away on December 28, 2007, at the age of 59.

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