Zbigniew Preisner
Encyclopedia
Zbigniew Preisner (ˈzbiɡɲɛf ˈpɾajsnɛɾ; born 20 May 1955 in Bielsko-Biała
as Zbigniew Antoni Kowalski) is a Polish film score
composer
, best known for his work with film director
Krzysztof Kieślowski
.
. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records. His compositional style represents a distinctively spare form of tonal
neo-Romanticism. Paganini and Jean Sibelius
are acknowledged influences.
, is attributed to a character in Kieślowski's Three Colors: Blue
and plays a dominating role in the story. His music for Three Colors: Red includes a setting of Polish and French versions of a poem by Wisława Szymborska, a Polish Nobel Prize
-winning poet.
After working with Kieślowski on Three Colors: Blue
, Preisner was hired by the producer Francis Ford Coppola
to write the score for The Secret Garden, directed by Polish director Agnieszka Holland
. Although Preisner is most closely associated with Kieślowski, he has collaborated with several other directors, winning a César
in 1996 for his work on Jean Becker's Élisa. He has won a number of other awards, including another César in 1994 for Three Colors: Red, and the Silver Bear from the 1997 Berlin Film Festival 1997 for The Island on Bird Street
.
In 1998, Requiem for My Friend, Preisner's first large scale work not written for film, premiered. It was originally intended as a narrative work to be written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz
and directed by Kieślowski, but it became a memorial to Kieślowski after the director's death. The Lacrimosa from it appears in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (film). He composed the theme music for the People's Century
, a monumental twenty-six part documentary
made jointly in 1994 by the BBC
television network in United Kingdom and the PBS
television network in the United States. He has also worked with director Thomas Vinterberg
on the 2003 film It's All About Love
and provided orchestration for David Gilmour
's 2006 album On An Island
. Silence, Night and Dreams is Zbigniew Preisner's new recording project, a large-scale work for orchestra, choir and soloists, based on texts from the Book of Job
. The premier recording, was released in 2007 with the lead singer of Madredeus
, Teresa Salgueiro and boy soprano Thomas Cully from Libera
.
for attributions in screenplays. Preisner said Van den Budenmayer is a pseudonym he and Kieślowski
invented "because we both loved the Netherlands". Music "by" the Dutch composer plays a role in three Kieślowski
films. The first is The Decalogue
(1988). The second is Three Colours: Blue (1993) in which a theme from his musique funebres is quoted in the Song for the Unification of Europe. Its E minor soprano solo is prefigured in the earlier film The Double Life of Veronique
(1991), where circumstances in the story prevent the solo from finishing. The third is Three Colours: Red
(1994).
Bielsko-Biała
-Economy and Industry:Nowadays Bielsko-Biała is one of the best-developed parts of Poland. It was ranked 2nd best city for business in that country by Forbes. About 5% of people are unemployed . Bielsko-Biała is famous for its textile, machine-building, and especially automotive industry...
as Zbigniew Antoni Kowalski) is a Polish film score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, best known for his work with film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
Krzysztof Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
.
Life
Zbigniew Preisner studied history and philosophy in KrakówKraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
. Never having received formal music lessons, he taught himself music by listening and transcribing parts from records. His compositional style represents a distinctively spare form of tonal
Tonality
Tonality is a system of music in which specific hierarchical pitch relationships are based on a key "center", or tonic. The term tonalité originated with Alexandre-Étienne Choron and was borrowed by François-Joseph Fétis in 1840...
neo-Romanticism. Paganini and Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius
Jean Sibelius was a Finnish composer of the later Romantic period whose music played an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity. His mastery of the orchestra has been described as "prodigious."...
are acknowledged influences.
Work
Preisner is best known for the music composed for the films directed by fellow Pole Krzysztof Kieślowski. His Song for the Unification of Europe, based on the Greek text of 1 Corinthians 131 Corinthians 13
Chapter 13 of the First Epistle to the Corinthians, written by Paul the apostle covers the subject of love, principally the love that Christians should have for everyone. In the original Greek, the word αγαπη agape is used throughout...
, is attributed to a character in Kieślowski's Three Colors: Blue
Three Colors: Blue
Three Colors: Blue is a 1993 French drama film written, produced, and directed by the acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. Blue is the first of three films that comprise The Three Colors Trilogy, themed on the French Revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity; it is...
and plays a dominating role in the story. His music for Three Colors: Red includes a setting of Polish and French versions of a poem by Wisława Szymborska, a Polish Nobel Prize
Nobel Prize
The Nobel Prizes are annual international awards bestowed by Scandinavian committees in recognition of cultural and scientific advances. The will of the Swedish chemist Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, established the prizes in 1895...
-winning poet.
After working with Kieślowski on Three Colors: Blue
Three Colors: Blue
Three Colors: Blue is a 1993 French drama film written, produced, and directed by the acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. Blue is the first of three films that comprise The Three Colors Trilogy, themed on the French Revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity; it is...
, Preisner was hired by the producer Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola
Francis Ford Coppola is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. He is widely acclaimed as one of Hollywood's most innovative and influential film directors...
to write the score for The Secret Garden, directed by Polish director Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland
Agnieszka Holland is a Polish film and TV director and screenwriter. Best recognized for her highly political contributions to Polish cinema, Holland is one of Poland's most prominent filmmakers.-Personal life:...
. Although Preisner is most closely associated with Kieślowski, he has collaborated with several other directors, winning a César
César Award
The César Award is the national film award of France, first given out in 1975. The nominations are selected by the members of the Académie des arts et techniques du cinéma....
in 1996 for his work on Jean Becker's Élisa. He has won a number of other awards, including another César in 1994 for Three Colors: Red, and the Silver Bear from the 1997 Berlin Film Festival 1997 for The Island on Bird Street
The Island on Bird Street
The Island on Bird Street is a 1985 semi-autobiographical children's book by Israeli author Uri Orlev, which tells the story of a young boy, Alex, and his struggle to survive alone in a ghetto during World War II...
.
In 1998, Requiem for My Friend, Preisner's first large scale work not written for film, premiered. It was originally intended as a narrative work to be written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Piesiewicz
Krzysztof Marek Piesiewicz is a Polish lawyer, screenwriter, and politician, who is currently a member of the Polish Parliament and head of the Ruch Społeczny or Social Movement Party....
and directed by Kieślowski, but it became a memorial to Kieślowski after the director's death. The Lacrimosa from it appears in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life (film). He composed the theme music for the People's Century
People's Century
People's Century is a television documentary series examining the 20th century. It was a joint production of the BBC in the United Kingdom and PBS member station WGBH Boston in the United States. First shown on BBC in 1995, the 26 parts of one hour deal with the socio-economic, political, and...
, a monumental twenty-six part documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
made jointly in 1994 by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television network in United Kingdom and the PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
television network in the United States. He has also worked with director Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg
Thomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production....
on the 2003 film It's All About Love
It's All About Love
It's All About Love is a 2003 film written and directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Its narrative can be classified as apocalyptic science fiction, but Vinterberg prefers to call it "a dream". Unlike the director's earlier Danish-language films, It's All About Love is entirely in English and stars...
and provided orchestration for David Gilmour
David Gilmour
David Jon Gilmour, CBE, D.M. is an English rock musician and multi-instrumentalist who is best known as the guitarist, one of the lead singers and main songwriters in the progressive rock band Pink Floyd. In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has worked as a producer for a variety of...
's 2006 album On An Island
On an Island
On an Island is the third solo album by David Gilmour, best known as vocalist and lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. It was released in the UK on 6 March 2006, Gilmour's 60th birthday, and in the United States the following day. It was Gilmour's first new solo album in 22 years...
. Silence, Night and Dreams is Zbigniew Preisner's new recording project, a large-scale work for orchestra, choir and soloists, based on texts from the Book of Job
Book of Job
The Book of Job , commonly referred to simply as Job, is one of the books of the Hebrew Bible. It relates the story of Job, his trials at the hands of Satan, his discussions with friends on the origins and nature of his suffering, his challenge to God, and finally a response from God. The book is a...
. The premier recording, was released in 2007 with the lead singer of Madredeus
Madredeus
Madredeus is a Portuguese band. Their music combines traditional Portuguese music with influences of modern folk music...
, Teresa Salgueiro and boy soprano Thomas Cully from Libera
Libera (music)
Libera is a non-profit all-boy English vocal group directed by Robert Prizeman. Most members come from the parish choir of St. Philip's, Norbury, in South London. The albums, tours and TV appearances they do as Libera are in addition to their regular singing as part of the full choir of men and...
.
Van den Budenmayer
Van den Budenmayer is a fictitious eighteenth-century Dutch composer created by Preisner and director Krzysztof KieślowskiKrzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
for attributions in screenplays. Preisner said Van den Budenmayer is a pseudonym he and Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
invented "because we both loved the Netherlands". Music "by" the Dutch composer plays a role in three Kieślowski
Krzysztof Kieslowski
Krzysztof Kieślowski was an Academy Award nominated influential Polish film director and screenwriter, known internationally for The Double Life of Veronique and his film cycles The Decalogue and Three Colors.-Early life:...
films. The first is The Decalogue
The Decalogue
The Decalogue is a 1989 Polish television drama series directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski and co-written by Kieślowski with Krzysztof Piesiewicz, with music by Zbigniew Preisner...
(1988). The second is Three Colours: Blue (1993) in which a theme from his musique funebres is quoted in the Song for the Unification of Europe. Its E minor soprano solo is prefigured in the earlier film The Double Life of Veronique
The Double Life of Véronique
The Double Life of Véronique is a 1991 French- and Polish-language film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, starring Irène Jacob, with original music by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside Poland.A...
(1991), where circumstances in the story prevent the solo from finishing. The third is Three Colours: Red
Three Colours: Red
Three Colors: Red is a 1994 film co-written, produced, and directed by Polish filmmaker Krzysztof Kieślowski. It is the final film of The Three Colors Trilogy, which examines the French Revolutionary ideals; it is preceded by Blue and White. Kieślowski had announced that this would be his final...
(1994).
Orchestral works
- Requiem for my friend (1998)
- Life (1998)
- Silence, Night and Dreams (2007)
- Live in GdańskLive in GdanskLive in Gdańsk is a live album by David Gilmour. It is a part of his On an Island project which includes an album, tour, DVD, and live album. It was released on 22 September 2008...
(September 22, 2008) (a David Gilmour live album)
Music for solo instruments
- 10 Easy Pieces for Piano (2000)
Performed by Leszek MożdżerLeszek MozdzerLeszek Możdżer is a Polish jazz pianist. He is also a music producer and a film music composer.He has graduated from the Academy of Music in Gdansk, Poland...
Theatre
- Das Begräbnis (The Funeral) (2010)
a play by Thomas VinterbergThomas VinterbergThomas Vinterberg is a Danish film director who, along with Lars von Trier, co-founded the Dogme 95 movement in filmmaking, which established rules for simplifying movie production....
and Mogens RukovMogens RukovMogens Rukov is a Danish screenwriter.He achieved a university degree in Nordic filology and film in 1974.After that he became a teacher of the screenwriting department at the National Film School of Denmark, Copenhagen....
Film scores
- Prognoza pogody (1981)
- Bez konca (1985)
- Lubie nietoperze (1986)
- Przez dotyk (1986)
- The Lullabye (1987)
- UcieczkaUcieczkaUcieczka is a Polish historical film. It was released in 1996....
(1987) - To Kill a PriestTo Kill a PriestTo Kill a Priest is a 1988 drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland. The film tells a story based on the murder, under the Polish communist regime, of priest Jerzy Popiełuszko...
(1988) - A Short Film About KillingA Short Film About KillingA Short Film About Killing is a 1988 film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski expanded from the fifth episode in the Polish television series Dekalog...
(1988) - A Short Film About LoveA Short Film About LoveA Short Film About Love is an expanded film version of the sixth episode of director Krzysztof Kieślowski's 1988 Polish language ten-part television series, The Decalogue...
(1988) - Kocham kino (1988)
- Dekalog (1988-9)
- Ostatni dzwonek (1989)
- Europa EuropaEuropa EuropaEuropa Europa is a 1990 German language film directed by Agnieszka Holland. Its original German title is Hitlerjunge Salomon, i.e. "Hitler Youth Salomon". It is based on the 1989 autobiography of Solomon Perel, a German Jewish boy who escaped The Holocaust by masquerading not just as a non-Jew, but...
(1990) - Eminent DomainEminent domainEminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...
(1991) - The Double Life of VéroniqueThe Double Life of VéroniqueThe Double Life of Véronique is a 1991 French- and Polish-language film directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski, co-written by Kieślowski and Krzysztof Piesiewicz, starring Irène Jacob, with original music by Zbigniew Preisner. The film was Kieślowski's first to be produced partly outside Poland.A...
(1991) - At Play in the Fields of the LordAt Play in the Fields of the LordAt Play in the Fields of the Lord is a drama film directed by Héctor Babenco adapted from the 1965 novel of the same name by American author Peter Matthiessen. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Jean-Claude Carrière...
(1991) - Zwolnieni z zycia (1992)
- Olivier, OlivierOlivier, OlivierOlivier, Olivier is a 1992 drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland. It stars Frédéric Quiring. It won an award at the 1992 Valladolid International Film Festival.The plot involves a nine year-old boy who disappears...
(1992) - Damage (1992)
- Three Colors: BlueThree Colors: BlueThree Colors: Blue is a 1993 French drama film written, produced, and directed by the acclaimed Polish director Krzysztof Kieślowski. Blue is the first of three films that comprise The Three Colors Trilogy, themed on the French Revolutionary ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity; it is...
(1993) - The Secret GardenThe Secret Garden (1993 film)The Secret Garden is a 1993 British drama film based on Frances Hodgson Burnett's 1911 novel of the same name. The film was directed by Agnieszka Holland.-Plot:...
(1993) - On the Edge of the Horizon (1993)
- Mouvements du désir (1994)
- Kouarteto se 4 kiniseis (1994)
- Three Colors: WhiteThree Colors: WhiteThree Colors: White is a 1994 Polish mystery comedy-drama film co-written, produced, and directed by Krzysztof Kieślowski...
(1994) - When a Man Loves a WomanWhen a Man Loves a Woman (film)When a Man Loves a Woman is a 1994 American romantic drama film written by Al Franken and Ronald Bass, starring Andy García, Meg Ryan, Tina Majorino, Mae Whitman, Ellen Burstyn, Lauren Tom and Philip Seymour Hoffman....
(1994) - Three Colors: Red (1994)
- Feast of JulyFeast of JulyFeast of July is a 1995 UK film produced by Merchant Ivory Productions, based on the novel by H. E. Bates, starring Embeth Davidtz and Ben Chaplin.-Plot:...
(1995) - Élisa (1995)
- Foolish HeartFoolish Heart (1998 film)Foolish Heart is an Argentine, Brazilian, and French drama film released in 1998 and directed by Héctor Babenco. The screenplay was written by Babenco and Ricardo Piglia. The film stars Miguel Ángel Solá, Maria Luísa Mendonça, and others....
(1996) - FairyTale: A True StoryFairyTale: A True StoryFairyTale: A True Story is a 1997 film from Paramount Pictures, loosely based on the story of the Cottingley Fairies.-Plot:Early 20th Century England was a time and place ripe for believing, both in scientific advancements such as electric light and photography, and in anomalous phenomena of all...
(1997) - The Island on Bird StreetThe Island on Bird StreetThe Island on Bird Street is a 1985 semi-autobiographical children's book by Israeli author Uri Orlev, which tells the story of a young boy, Alex, and his struggle to survive alone in a ghetto during World War II...
(1997) - The Last SeptemberThe Last SeptemberThe Last September is a novel by the Anglo-Irish writer Elizabeth Bowen published in 1929, concerning life at the country mansion of Danielstown, Cork during the Irish War of Independence.-Plot summary:Preface...
(1999) - Dreaming of Joseph LeesDreaming of Joseph LeesDreaming of Joseph Lees is a 1999 British romantic drama film directed by Eric Styles and starring Rupert Graves, Samantha Morton and Nicholas Woodeson. It is an adaptation of a story written by Catherine Linstrum set in rural England in the late 1950s. The film was distributed by the Fox...
(1999) - AberdeenAberdeen (film)Aberdeen is a 2000 drama film directed by Hans Petter Moland, starring Stellan Skarsgård, Lena Headey and Charlotte Rampling.-Cast:*Stellan Skarsgård - Tomas Heller*Jean Anderson - Young Kaisa*Lena Headey - Kairo 'Kaisa' Heller...
(2000) - Weiser (2001)
- Between StrangersBetween Strangers-Cast:*Sophia Loren as Olivia*Mira Sorvino as Natalia Bauer*Deborah Kara Unger as Catherine*Pete Postlethwaite as John*Julian Richings as Nigel*Klaus Maria Brandauer as Alexander Bauer*Malcolm McDowell as Alan Baxter*Len Doncheff as Grocery Store Owner...
(2002) - It's All About LoveIt's All About LoveIt's All About Love is a 2003 film written and directed by Thomas Vinterberg. Its narrative can be classified as apocalyptic science fiction, but Vinterberg prefers to call it "a dream". Unlike the director's earlier Danish-language films, It's All About Love is entirely in English and stars...
(2003) - Strange Gardens (2003)
- Kolysanka (2003)
- SuperTexSuperTexSuperTex is a Dutch film that runs approximately 97 minutes. The drama was filmed in English and directed by Jan Schütte....
(2003) - The Beautiful CountryThe Beautiful CountryThe Beautiful Country is a 2004 Vietnam-related drama film set in 1990. It is directed by Hans Petter Moland and starring Damien Nguyen, Nick Nolte, Bai Ling, Chau Thi Kim Xuan, Tim Roth, Anh Thu, Temuera Morrison and John Hussey...
(2004) - Sportsman of the Century (2006)
- Anonyma - Eine Frau In Berlin (2008)
External links
- Zbigniew Preisner official site
- Representative company of Zbigniew Preisner in Greece and Cyprus
- Interview with Preisner with director Edoardo Ponti.
- Television Interview with Preisner from C Music TV.