Contemporary Carillon II
SeriES: SOUNDS
Gdańsk, as we have testified for years, is renowned for its carillons, that is, sets of many bells played from a keyboard. The city’s largest carillon is mounted in the tower of St Catherine’s Church, a smaller one – at the Main City Hall. There is also a third mobile carillon that can be moved around, as the name suggests. For the last several years, the City of Gdańsk and Museum of Gdańsk have been commissioning new works for these instruments. Their premieres take place in September. Through the courtesy of PWM Edition, these compositions have also been recorded and released. The first commissioned works came out in 2021 on a Fryderyk-nominated ANAKLASIS album titled Contemporary Carillon. This new release contains pieces written in 2022–2024.
The process is similar in every case. The curious composers come to Gdańsk and duly climb the stairs to the top of the towers. They listen, ask questions, and then proceed to compose the music. They are guided in this project by Monika Kaźmierczak, the city’s first full-time carillonist since 1945 (Gdańsk employed carillonists uninterruptedly from the 16th century).
The composers who have added pieces for the Gdańsk carillons to their output are Dariusz Przybylski, Hanna Kulenty, Krzysztof Meyer, Marta Ptaszyńska, Krzysztof Knittel, and Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa. All the works on ANAKLASIS new, second album are recording premieres. The Gdańsk carillons are best listened to either during walks in the city’s old town, or in the peace and quiet of one’s own home. Since not everyone can come to Gdańsk, we offer you that other option, though we cannot replace the scream of seagulls from the nearby coast.
- Series: ANAKLASIS
- Type: CD
- Size: C5
| Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa | Ciacona |
| Hanna Kulenty | Cristal en cristal |
| Marta Ptaszyńska | Bells of St Catherine |
| Krzysztof Knittel | Gdańsk Nostalgia |
| Krzysztof Meyer | Memento |
| Dariusz Przybylski | Visions |
