I am very saddened by this news. I have enjoyed so many of his film scores and concert works. I join other posters above in highly recommending PAN TADEUSZ. There is also an excellent CD of four concert works on Olympia OCD 308, which includes ANGELUS, a huge-sounding work for mixed choir and orchestra that is alternately terrifying and beyond beautiful. (Avoid the pale, lackluster Naxos CD of this piece.)
A bit of trivia: Kilar wrote the fanfare played at the inauguration of Pope John Paul II. This was available on a Crystal LP.
I second Jim's recommendation of the Kilar works on the Olympia CD. I remember hunting this down after finding out the Exodus was used in the Schindler's List trailer, not easily done in a pre-internet age.
The works on the Olympia CD are all available elsewhere so far as I know - does the Olympia CD have exceptional/different performances?
I can't speak about the other works on the Olympia CD, but as I said in my earlier post, the difference between the Olympia and Naxos recordings of ANGELUS was huge! On the Naxos recording, it just falls flat. But on the Olympia CD, under the direction of Antoni Wit, the work shines as a modern masterpiece. The whole arc that Wit slowly builds to a climax and release, and then back down to restfullness and nothingness at the end, is just genius. Everything that should be stressed, is streesed; the contrasting dynamics of different parts of the piece are handled expertly, as are the inherent emotional ebbs and flows.
(Gee, can you tell I like this recording?)
Hurry, there are a few used copies on amazon in the $15-$16.00 range.
The works on the Olympia CD are all available elsewhere so far as I know - does the Olympia CD have exceptional/different performances?
I can't speak about the other works on the Olympia CD, but as I said in my earlier post, the difference between the Olympia and Naxos recordings of ANGELUS was huge! On the Naxos recording, it just falls flat. But on the Olympia CD, under the direction of Antoni Wit, the work shines as a modern masterpiece. The whole arc that Wit slowly builds to a climax and release, and then back down to restfullness and nothingness at the end, is just genius. Everything that should be stressed, is streesed; the contrasting dynamics of different parts of the piece are handled expertly, as are the inherent emotional ebbs and flows.
(Gee, can you tell I like this recording?)
Hurry, there are a few used copies on amazon in the $15-$16.00 range.
Hmm... So, 9 years after the recording for Olympia, what went wrong for Wit and the Polish National Radio Symphony? Because conductor and orchestra are the same on both recordings.
I've got the Naxos albums and they're wonderful. Clear sound and spirited performances from Wit and various Polish orchestras. "Exodus" and the Piano Concerto are particular standouts.
In the case of Exodus, both recordings were performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice) under Wit. The choir credit is different: Polish Radio and Television Choir, Cracow for the Olympia disc, but Cracow Philharmonic Chorus for the Naxos. The naxos was recorded digitally in 1997, while the Olympia claims to be AAD (I don't know when it was recorded). Plus the Naxos Exodus lasts 23:41, while the Olympia is nearly a whole minute shorter at 22:47. (Same with Angelus, which lasts 23:18 on the Naxos and 22:17 on the Olympia)
That's correct of course. Krzesany (which I posted above) was recorded in 97, while the other three pieces on the disc were recorded in 94. I saw the two years listed in the credits and then misread their attributions.
R.I.P MR KILAR- Yes there has been some very good composers who have come out of POLAND. Recently in the past 2 decades some good leaders as well who actually try to respect life not death.
