Stefan Kisielewski, Baktschi Serai By Night

Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego

HIRE LIBRARY CATALOG WEBSHOP PBM

Stefan Kisielewski

Baktschi Serai by night

for voice and piano

Publisher: PWM Edition

Countries of delivery:

Cat. no. 2177

In addition to his interest in little realism, signified by Gałczyński, the composer also gave free rein to his love of mystery and exoticism. The occasion was the above mentioned competition for a song to the words of Mickiewicz, won by Kisielewski (together with Piotr Perkowski for the song W imionniku), organised in 1955 by the Polish Composers Union on the occasion of the centenary of the poet's death - Mickiewicz Year. Kisielewski reached for the Crimean Sonnets, selecting the seventh piece in the cycle: Baktschi Serai by night. What enchanted the composer in that particular verse, set, like all others in this series, in the artistic form of a sonnet? Maybe some objective description, cleansed of more personal feelings, or twists of the soul, but saturated with images of the exotic nature and customs of the Gardens of the Palace? Written in 13-syllable metre, formed by two four line rhyming patterns of ABBA, and two trios of alternating rhymes (ABA BAB), thus retaining the classical layout of the sonnet, this became the subject of the original development of the music. The leitmotif of the entire piece is a melodic phrase in the form of a curve, suggesting some Eastern scale. Its nucleus is a major second surrounded with two minor seconds. Reappearances of these appear in various versions in both the piano accompaniment, as well as in the vocal part, adding a truly exotic flavour. In addition, the composer does not shy away from ostinato progressions of minor seconds, or harmonically saturated chords; but all these treatments are neutralized with this melodic ornamentation. Indeed, it is on this, modified in the next verse, that the melody from the first stanza is spread out, partially taken melismatically, which is something new in the composer's output of songs. [M. Gąsiorowska, Kisielewski, PWM 2011]