Ministerstwo Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego

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Composers

Tomasz Sikorski

1939-1988

Tomasz Sikorski, born 19 V 1939 Warsaw, died 13 XI 1988 Warsaw, composer and pianist, son of Kazimierz Sikorski. Studied at PWSM in Warsaw: 1956–62 composition under the direction of his father (gaining a diploma with distinction) and 1956–61 piano with Z. Drzewiecki. In the years 1961–63 his interest was concentrated around electronic music; at this time he wrote pieces which used magnetic tape: „Antyfony” and „Echa II”, for which he gained a distinction at the V Polish Composers’ Union Youth Competition. In 1965, thanks to a scholarship from the French government, he studied with N. Boulanger in Paris. 1963–68 he lectured ochestration and score reading at the PWSM in Warsaw. 1963, alongside Z. Krauze and J. Tilbury, he was one of the initiators of the establishment of „Warsztat Muzyczne”, a group performing contemporary music. In 1967 he founded the ensemble Ad novum, in which the permanent membership , apart form the composer, was made up of: Z. Rudziński (piano), A. Wojakowski (flute) and K. Woźniak (percussion). T.S. was a talented pianist; he performed at the festivals MTMW in Stockholm (1966), Athens (1979) and Brussels (1981) and many times at the International Contemporary Music Festival „Warsaw Autumn” as a performer of his own works. 1965–74 he was a member of the repertoire committee for the „Warsaw Autumn” festival, leading it in the years 1971–74, 1973–75 a member of the PCU Board. 1975–76 he was in the USA on a scholarship for the Senior Fulbright Program. At this time he worked in the Columbia Princeton Electronic Music Center in New York, where he composed the piece „Samotność dźwięków”, and in the Electronic Music Studio at Yale University in New Haven. In the ‘80s he concentrated on his compositional work. T. S.’s pieces are published by: PWM, Edition Modern, Moeck and Agencja Autorska.

Compositions

- orchestra: „Sequenza I” 1966, perf. Warsaw Autumn 22 IX 1966, pub. Kr.1970; „Homofonia” for 12 brass instruments, piano and gong, 1970, perf. Warsaw Autumn 20 IX 1970, pub. Kr. Munich1973; „Hommage à Kandinsky” 1971; „Holzwege” 1972, perf. Warsaw Autumn 24 IX 1972, pub. Kr.–Celle 1974; „Etude” 1972; „Inne głosy” for 24 wind instruments, 4 gongs and bells, 1975, perf. Warsaw Autumn 20 IX 1975, pub. Kr. 1977; „Monophony” 1980; „Ostinato” 1980; „Dwa portrety” 1982; „Concerto breve” for piano, 24 wind instruments and 4 percussionsts, 1965, perf. Warsaw Autumn 30 IX 1965, pub. Kr. 1968; „Music in Twilight” for piano and orchestra, 1978, perf. Warsaw Autumn 23 IX 1978, pub. Kr. 1983; „Autoritratto” for 2 pianos and orchestra, 1983; “Omaggio per Quattro piano forti ed orchestra in memoriam Jorge Luis Borges” 1987, perf. Warsaw Autumn 16 IX 1988 for string orchestra: „Struny w ziemi” 1980, perf. Warsaw Autumn 23 IX 1980, pub. Kr. 1982; „Paesaggio d’inverno” 1982, perf. Szczecin 1982, pub. Kr. 1985; „Recitativo e aria” 1983, Warsaw 1984; „La notte” 1984, perf. Warsaw Autumn 21 IX 1985, pub. Kr. 1992

- chamber music: „Echa II” for 1–4 pianos, bells, 2 gongs, 2 tam tams and tape, 1963, perf. Warsaw 20 I 1964, pub. Kr. 1965; „Monodia e sequenza” for flute and piano, 1966, perf. Brunszwik 30 XI 1972, pub. Kr.–Munich 1975, Kr. 31999; „Intersections” for 4 percussionists, 1968; „Na smyczki” for 3 violins and 3 violas, 1970, Kr.–Munich 1975; „Bez tytułu” for piano and 3 other instruments of free choice,1972, perf. Warsaw Autumn 27 IX 1973, pub. Warsaw 1974

- for solo instruments: „Modus” for trombone, 1980, 2nd version for ‘cello, 1982, perf. Warsaw Autumn 19 IX 1983, pub. Kr. 1985; „Rondo” for keyboard instruments, 1984, Warsaw 1986; „Moderato cantabile” for ‘cello, 1986; „Milczenie syren” for ‘cello, 1987, perf. Warsaw Autumn 22 IX 1987, pub. Kr. 1989

- for piano: „Pięć preludiów” 1955, „2 utwory” pub. Kr. 1956 as „Dwa preludia”, 2nd pub. in the series «Miniatury Fortepianowe» nr 132, Kr. 1996; „Dyptyk — pastorale e toccattina” 1955; „Sonant” 1967, perf. Warsaw Autumn 20 IX 1967, pub. Kr. 1970, 31999; „Zertstreutes Hinausschauen” 1971, perf. Londyn 1972, pub. Warsaw –Celle 1974; „Hymnos” 1979, perf. Sabaé (Japonia) 17 XI 1979, pub. Warsaw 1981; „Autograf” 1980, perf. St. Petersburgh (USA 10 III 1981, pub. Warsaw 1982; „Eufonia” 1982, perf. Alicante 10 III 1986, pub. Warsaw 1983; for 2 pianos: „Diafonia” 1969, perf. Baden Baden 5 X 1969, pub. Kr. 1971, 2000, also pub. in: „2 utwory”, Warsaw 1974, „Muzyka nasłuchiwania” 1973, perf. Saint Maximin (Francja) 8 VIII 1973, pub. in: „2 utwory”, Warsaw 1974

- vocal-instrumental: „Piosenka o Wicie Stwoszu” for solo soprano, soprano choir and chamber orchestra, text K.I. Gałczyński, 1956, Warsaw 1990; „Antyfony” for soprano, piano, horn, bells, 4 gongs and tape, 1963, perf. Warsaw Autumn 29 IX 1963; „Prologi” for female choir, 2 solo pianos, 4 flutes, 4 horns and 4 percussionists, 1964, perf. Warsaw Autumn 21 IX 1964, pub. Kr. 1967; „Vox Humana” for mixed choir, 2 solo pianos, 12 brass instruments,4 gongs and 4 tam tams, 1971, perf. Warsaw Autumn 18 IX 1971, pub. Kr.–Munich 1973; „Muzyka z oddali” for choir and instruments, 1974, perf. Warsaw Autumn 29 IX 1974, pub. Kr. 1975; „Choroba na śmierć” for reciting voice, 2 pianos, 4 trumpets and 4 horns, words S. Kierkegaard, 1976, perf. Warsaw Autumn 24 IX 1977, pub. Kr. 1981; „W dali ptak” for clavichord or piano, recorded clavichord or piano and whispering voice, text S. Beckett, 1981; „5 pieśni” for female voice and piano, text K.I. Gałczyński, 1986; „Diario 87” for recit. And tape, text J.L. Borges, 1987

- stage: opera „Przygody Sindbada Żeglarza”, libr. N. Sikorska according to B. Leśmian, 1972; music for ballet „La escala de Jacob”, perf. Buenos Aires 2 IX 1970; music for ballet „Podróżnik w brzuchu gwiazd”, perf. Telewizja Polska IX 1976;

- film music for tape: „Samotność dźwięków” 1975, perf. Tallahassee (Floryda) 13 III 1976.