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Joanna Bruzdowicz comes from a musical family: her father was an architect and cellist, her mother a pianist. Bruzdowicz started her musical career as a
child prodigy when she began to compose at the age of six. Interestingly, she later dedicated much of her efforts to promoting music for the youth.
She studied at the Warsaw Music High School, at the State Higher School of Music (composition with Kazimierz Sikorski
and piano with Irena Protasewicz and Wanda Łosakiewicz); she earned her M.A. in 1966.
She traveled to Paris to continue her studies on a scholarship from the
French government and became a student of Nadia Boulanger, Oliver Messiaen and Pierre Schaeffer (1968-70). While in Paris, she joined
the electro acoustic Groupe de Recherches Musicales and wrote her doctoral thesis Mathematics and Logic in Contemporary Music at the Sorbonne.
After completing her studies in France, she settled in Belgium and established herself
as a composer there (she recently moved to southern France).
 Bruzdowicz was amongst the Polish female students of the most famous teacher of composition in the 20th century, Nadia Boulanger—the group also included Grażyna Bacewicz, Anna Maria Klechniowska, Bernardetta Matuszczak, Barbara Niewiadomska, and Marta Ptaszyńska.
Boulanger's advice was very firm and non-compromising: she insisted that composers have no right to self-pity or self-indulgence,
but solely the right to work, work, work. This principle was internalized by her most talented students, such as Bacewicz, Bruzdowicz or Ptaszyńska, and expressed in their intensely focused work habits
that resulted in the high volume and quality of their output.
Joanna Bruzdowicz with a fellow female composer
of another heritage, Lithuanian-Canadian composer and
USC professor Veronika Krausas, during her visit for the PMC's Festival of Premieres in March 2012.
Photo: Krysta Close, PMC Archives
As a composer she devoted her attention to opera, symphonic and
chamber music, works for children, and music for film and television. She wrote four concerti and numerous
chamber pieces, as well as over 25 hours of film music. Her compositions are featured on 12 CDs and over 20 LPs; she has been featured in TV programs produced
in Belgium, France, Germany and Poland.
Bruzdowicz's music has been praised for its "poetic palette of sound" and its qualities of being "ultramodern and refined"
while remaining expressive and personal. Her output includes several operas which brought to the stage some of the greatest works of European literature (e.g. The Penal Colony, after Kafka, 1972;
The Women of Troy after Euripides, 1973; and The Gates of Paradise, after Jerzy Andrzejewski, 1987).
Bruzdowicz with Wanda Wilk and Jürgen Tittel.
Photo by Maja Trochimczyk, 2001.
Bruzdowicz was the only Polish composer and the only woman selected to the final round of 12 composers
who were invited to create a new Hymn for the Vatican (a French composer won). Her Stabat Mater written in 1993 for a special ceremony held at Forest Lawn Memorial in Glendale, California (unveiling in a restored
theatre Jan Styka's monumental panorama of the Crucifixion, commissioned by Paderewski) was attended by
the representatives of the city and county, and the Polish government, among over one thousand of guests. This choral work is dedicated to PMC founder Wanda Wilk.
In 2001 Bruzdowicz received the highest distinction from the Polish government—the Order of Polonia Restituta—for her contributions to Polish culture. Promoting
Polish music is her passion and she has produced hours of radio programs devoted to this subject for radio stations in France, Germany, Belgium, Italy, Spain and the U.S.
She is a co-founder of various musical organizations: Chopin-Szymanowski Association in Belgium, Jeunesses Musicales in Poland, GIMEP in France, andInternational Encounters in Music in Catalonia.
Thanks to her efforts, numerous Polish composers received their first performances in Europe and the U.S. One of her most notable projects was a special concert held in December
1985 during the Year of European Music; the concert was devoted to the "forgotten Europe," that is its Eastern part. The Belgium Radio Orchestra performed works by
Szymanowski, Shostakovich, Dvorak and Bartók. A live recording from this concert was reviewed across Europe. Active as a founder and board member of the Polish section of Jeunesses Musicales, she is also founder and President of the Frederic Chopin and Karol Szymanowski Society of Belgium and Vice-President of the International Federation
of Chopin Societies.
BRUZDOWICZ MANUSCRIPTS AT USC
Joanna Bruzdowicz
was the second composer to offer her manuscripts to our collection; she was preceded in this sign of generosity only by Witold Lutosławski. The manuscripts of her works
were included in the Manuscript Exhibition held at the PMC in October 2000.
Bruzdowicz deposits her scores at USC, December 2003.
Photo by Darren Schenck.
- Trio dei Due Mondi for violin, cello and piano (1980)
Manuscript score, in black ink, 26 pp. Donated in 1986
- Tre Contre Tre for flute, oboe, viola and three percussions (1979)
Manuscript score in black ink, 20 pp. Donated in 1986
- Piano Concerto for piano and orchestra (1974). Dedicated to Desire N'Kaoue. Commissionned by French government
for l'Orchestre Colonne in Paris. First orchestral draft, manuscript score in pencil, with annotations and
title page in ink, 60 pp. PWM music paper, 26 staves. Donated in 2003
- Marlos Grosso Brasileiras "Chant d'amitié" for flute, violin, harpsichord and tape (1980).
Commissioned by "Trio Baroque", Brussels. Manuscript score in pencil, 32 pp. Unmarked music paper, 14 staves. Donated in 2003
THE MUSIC OF JOANNA BRUZDOWICZ
Essay by Maja Trochimczyk
The roots of Joanna Bruzdowicz's music (b. 1943) can be located in the tradition of the colorful, lively and expressive neoclassicism of Grazyna Bacewicz (also a student of Kazimierz Sikorski in Warsaw and Nadia Boulanger in Paris), flavored by inspiration from the Polish school of sonorism (Penderecki, Lutoslawski). Her musical narratives are filled with kaleidoscopically shifting ideas and melodies; the moods alternate between somber reflection, sweet lyricism, and exuberant outbursts of joy. Her writing for strings is particularly idiomatic, with poignant monologues by soloists, especially the cello, transforming the instrument into an almost-human voice at the verge of signification. Bruzdowicz's music is always meaningful, always associated with poetic or natural imagery, with ideas borrowed from classic literary texts or reflecting her personal fascinations. According to the eminent Polish music critic Tadeusz Kaczynski (Ruch Muzyczny, no. 13, 19 June 1988; p. 11), her works span "a range of moods, character, condensation of music material, dramaturgy, style and compositional technique."
Bruzdowicz's early international recognition stemmed primarily from her operas, The Penal Colony based on a story by
Kafka (1972, rev. version 1986), The Women of Troy based on Eurypides's play (1973, Polish version 1979), and
The Gates of Paradise based on a historical novel by Jerzy Andrzejewski depicting the tragic story of
the Children's Crusade in the 13th century (1986). The operas feature similar dark, tragic subjects. The composer has explained her attraction to these themes in the following words: "I have been interested in subjects pertaining to the fate that people have prepared for themselves. . . I feel that the subject is highly pertinent because we are entering a new era of civilization in which there is less room for individuality, in which fanaticism is flourishing and in which the human being is being transformed into a robot. . . Today, I believe, one must speak out about the dangers that threaten us, we must strive to inspire the viewers and listeners to reflect about these issues."
 The second version of The Penal Colony was staged in 1986 in Liège, Belgium; the nightmarish imagery and horrid events in Kafka's story found a faithful and equally disturbing interpretation in Bruzdowicz's music, praised by an array of international music critics. Jacques Mairel in Le Soir (13 October 1986) noted her expressive use of Sprechgesang and electronic sounds for "reinforcing the expressionist climate and horror of the libretto with the electronics submersing us in atmospheres of false serenity or harsh horror." German musicologist Detlef Gojowy (Die Welt, 11 October 1986) considered her "sound textures of perverse beauty" to be morally ambivalent in the setting of a story filled with such disturbing ideas and imagery, while praising her terse rhetoric blurring the borders between speech and song in the service of expression.
Bruzdowicz in the Polish Music Center at USC.
Photo: Maja Trochimczyk, 2001
The composer adapted the text for The Gates of Paradise herself, shortening long statements and introducing actor-doubles for the singers in the six main roles (Monk, James, Alexis, Robert, Blanca, and Maud). The opera's cast also included three acting roles, a chorus of adolescents, fourteen musicians, and a sound technician for the electronic tape. Detlef Gojowy, in a review in Neue Zeitschrift für Musik, called the 1988 performances of The Gates of Paradise the high point of the Opernwoche, praising Bruzdowicz's perfect use of speech, song, electronics, and choreography in the staging of the tragedy of the Children's Crusade. The composer explained her motivation to compose this opera, "dedicated to all the children of the world," in the following words (in conversation with Ludwik Erhardt in Polish Music/Polnische Musik, 1986):
"In The Gates of Paradise, situated in the 13th century, the children who set out for Jerusalem to liberate the grave of Christ from pagan hands were actally condemned to death by starvation and exhaustion or to be enslaved by Turkish and Arab slave traders. . . in later centuries there was no lack of similar situations created for political, religious and social reasons. . . With so much evil in the world, with so many unresolved political, religious and social problems that carry the threat of war, of a new disaster, or at least the threat of revolution in many countries, I believe that we should all give our attention to the rearing of children and to the role children play in every society."
With her social conscience, Bruzdowicz could have been easily seduced by a "politically-correct" or "engaged" approach to composing. She was protected from this danger by her musical talent, overflowing with melodic, textural, and rhythmic ideas. An influential French music critic and conductor, Antoine Golea, wrote an enthusiastic appreciation of her abilities (published in the Poland magazine as "Originality But Not at any Price"), stating:
I am firmly convinced hers is a genuine talent, strong, original and not striving for originality at any price. . . All of this is lucid and original, rich in genuine musical invention and, as the need arises, dramatic, but always constructed and developed in accordance with the principles of the real composers of all times, independent of fashion, solicitous of technical honesty and valuing what must still be called 'inspiration.'
According to Golea, Bruzdowicz's music has features of "classical modernity" and the emotional and formal balance of her works is coupled with melodious and engaging sound material.
These traits are especially prominent in her chamber music. Her Trio dei Due Mondi (1980) successfully juxtaposes European avant-garde gestures with South-American dance rhythms and elements of jazz. In her String Quartet No. 2 Cantus Aaeternus (1988) for an actor reciting text fragments from a wide range of poetry in several languages, and four string instruments, the layers of the music reflect Bruzdowicz's talent for expressive textual settings and her experience with opera and film music. The Violin Sonata No. 2, subtitled Spring in America (1994), follows a neoclassical outline of three movements (Fast-Slow-Fast), while subdividing each of the movements into a series of musical moments of exquisite beauty. In the course of the work, the composer leads the listeners through ever-changing landscapes of sonorous textures, motives, and patterns.
Poster design Bozenna and Lukas Bogucki, from a photo by Jorg Tittel, 2003.
The composer's recent renown stems from her collaboration with the distinguished French film director, Agnès Varda, sometimes
called the "Grandmother of the New Wave" of experimental and socially engaged cinema. The director's approach to filmmaking may
be summarized in her statement, "In my films, I always wanted to make people see deeply. I don't want to show things,
but to give people the desire to see." According to film critic Pauline Kael, Varda "has consistently
interspersed unique documentaries with an incredibly varied range of features, from neo-realism to surrealism,
from giddy free-form improv to rigorous control, to hybrids that can only be called 'Vardian.'" Several of the
films that Bruzdowicz scored for Varda received international awards; the most notable titles are: Sans Toit, ni Loi (known in English as Vagabond, 1985), a fictional documentary about a female drifter,
awarded a Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival; Jacquot de Nantes (1991),
selected for recognition by the Cannes Festival; and The Gleaners and I, a documentary and first-person
video essay by Varda (2001), the winner of the best non-fiction film awards from the New York, Los Angeles
and Boston film critics associations, the U.S. National Society of Film Critics (and over 40 international film awards).
Bruzdowicz's music for The Gleaners and I is elegant, discreet, and refined, highlighting the mood of quiet reflection about the vagaries of human life
which permeates Varda's inspiring documentary. In addition to working
with Varda, Bruzdowicz has also scored films by Gilles Katz and Yves Angelo.
Bruzdowicz's strong ties to California include the 1993 premiere of her cantata Stabat Mater for chorus a capella at the
unveiling of Jan Styka's monumental panorama of the Crucifixion at the Forest Lawn Memorial in Glendale. The work was
commissioned by the Polish Music Center and is dedicated to Mrs. Wanda Wilk. The composer donated manuscripts of two works
to the PMC Manuscript Collection: Tre Contre Tre, for flute, oboe, viola and three percussionists (1979)
and Trio dei Due Mondi, for violin, cello and piano (1980). She completed her donation and received the title of PMC Benefactor (value of donation
exceeding $10,000), in December 2003, by presenting the PMC with two additional manuscripts of her Piano Concerto and
Marlos Grosso Brasileiras. Due to her residence in Belgium and now France,
her critical recognition has continued to flourish in Europe, with articles published primarily in French and German-language periodicals.
THEATER MUSIC (OPERA, BALLET)
In der Strafkolonie [The Penal Colony - La Colonie Pénitentiaire], 60'
A one-act musical drama after Franz Kafka
Commissioned by the Opera of Prague, Narodni Divadlo in 1967
First performed in 1972 by the Opera of Tours, France
Polish premiere in Warszaw at Teatr Wielki Opera; Wroclaw Opera, 2008; Poznan, 2010.
Ensemble: 1 baritone, 1 tenor, 2 actors, 3 mimes, symphony orchestra (for 45 or 19 musicians) plus 2 tapes
Editor: CHOUDENS, Paris
New version for: 1 baritone, 1 tenor, 2 actors, orchestra recorded on tape + electronic music on tape + wind quintet - Live
First performance: October 9th, 1986, Belgium, "Le Petit Téâtre de l`Opéra Royal de Liège"
Les Troyennes [The Women of Troy - Die Troerinnen], 80'
Musical tragedy after Euripides
Commissioned by: Centre Lyrique Populaire de France
First performed in "Théâtre Gérard Philipe", Paris.
Ensemble: 2 sopranos, 1 mezzo, 1 baritone, 2 actors, choir of 12 singers, ensemble of 9 musicians plus 2 tapes
Editor: CHOUDENS, Paris
First performance of Trojanki, a new Polish version: July 20th, 1979, by the Grand Opera-National Theatre in Warsaw
Le Petit Prince, 60'
Ballet after the book by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry in 28 scenes
First performed in Palais des Beaux-Arts, Brussels
Instrumental (12 musicians) and electronic music, mixed on one tape. Live-interpretation possible
The Gates of Paradise [Bramy Raju], 120'
Musical drama after Jerzy Andrzejewski
Commissioned by: Polish Ministry of Culture in 1987
First performance: November 1987, Grand Opera-National Theatre in Warsaw
Ensemble: 1 soprano, 1 mezzo-alto, 4 tenors, 2 baritones, 8 actors, 14 young singers (15-18 years old), 14 musicians plus one tape (electronic music)
Waiting for Anaïs [En attendant Anaïs], 80'
Musical for children - 1987. Story and poems by Myriam Fuks and Tamara Danblan. Commissioned by Théâtre Résidence Palace in Brussels
First performance: Dec. 6, 1987 in Théâtre Résidence Palace
Ensemble: 2 singers (1 woman, 1 child), 3 dancers, 2 musicians (guitar and clarinet-saxophone) on the stage. Music on tape performed by 2 guitars, 1 piano, 2 percussion,
1 double bass, 1 saxophone-clarinet
Performed 187 times from 1987 until 1992
Tides and Waves (1991-1992), 140'
Opera-musical in two acts. Story by Jürgen Tittel and Joanna Bruzdowicz. Libretto by J.Tittel, J.Bruzdowicz and Hermine Furest-Garcia
Patron: UNESCO
First performance of excerpts: Paris and Barcelona, June 1, 1992; on board the warship Wodnik in Gdańsk-Westerplatte, Poland, 1997
Ensemble:
12 singers, chorus (singers-dancers) orchestra of 20 musicians able to play classic music and jazz.
ORCHESTRAL MUSIC
Impressions (1966), 20'
for 2 pianos and symphony orchestra (fl + pic, ob, 2 cl, bsn, 2 h, 2 trp, trb, 3 perc, strings)
First performance: 1969, Warsaw
Suite in memoriam Sergei Prokofiev (1966-67), 12'
for orchestra (2 fl,2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 3 h, 2 trtp, trb, 2 perc, str, pf)
First performance: 1967, Białystok, Poland
Eclairs (1969), 8'
for orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob-soloist, 2 bsn-soloist, 2 h, str)
First performance: 1969, Bydgoszcz, Poland
Publisher: CHOUDENES, Paris
Jour d'ici et d'ailleurs (1971), 20'
Poem of Paule Cornish-Miguel for mixed choir, vocal quartet, 1 speaker and ensemble (cl, bsn, trp, trb, 2 pf, 2 perc)
First performance: 1975, Warsaw, Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, Jerzy Witkowski, conductor
Symphonie (1975), 18'
For large symphony orchestra
(3 fl, 3 ob, 3 cl, 3 bsn, 4 h, 3 tr, 3 trb, tb, 4 perc, cel, pf, 8 I vl, 8 II vl, 8 vle, 8 vlc, 6 cb)
Commissioned by Festival "Printemps
Musical de Paris"
First performance: April 30th, 1975, Paris, Orchestre de Paris, Mihai Brediceanu, conductor
Published by composer
I Piano Concerto (1974), 17'
For piano and symphony orchestra (2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 4 h, 3 trp, 2 trb, tb, 4 perc, 8 I vl, 8 II vl, 8 vle 8 vlc, 6 cb, cel)
Commissioned by "Concerts Colonne"
First performance: Febr. 23, 1975, Paris, Orchestre Colonne, Désiré N'Kaoua, piano, Jean-Sebastian Bereau, conductor
Publisher: CHOUDENS, Paris
I Violin Concerto (1975), 17'
For violin and symphony orchestra (3 fl, 3 ob, 3 cl, 2 bsn, 4 h, 2 trp, 2 trb, tb, hp, pf, 8 I vl, 8 II vl, 8 vle, 8 vlc, 6 cb, cel)
Commissioned by Radio France
First performance: Feb. 11th, 1978, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Jean-Jacques Kantorow, violin, Alain Savouret, conductor
Publisher CHOUDENS-PWN,
Paris/Cracow
Record: "Bruzdowicz-Penderecki" CD PAVANE-OLYMPIA RECORDS Lódź Philharmony Orchestra Krzysztof Jakowicz, violin, Andrzej Markowski, conductor
Aquae sextiae (1978), 10'
Suite for wind instruments (soloists: 2 trp, 1 trb, 1 h, 1 tb; Ensemble 4 h, 3 trp, 4 trb, 2 bugles, 2 sax-b, 1 sax-cb)
Commissioned by Minister of Culture of France for Festival of Aix-en-Provence
First performance: July 12, 1978, Aix-en-Provence, Ensemble Ars Nova (Paris)
Concerto for Double Bass (1982), 18'
for double bass and symphony orchestra (3 fl, 3 ob, 3 cl, 3 bsn, 4 h, 3 trp, 3 trb, 1 tb, 4perc, cel, pf, 10 I vl, 8 II vl, 8 vle, 8 vlc, 6 cb)
Commissioned by the Minister of Culture of France for Fernando Grillo
First performance. March 1984, Lódź (Poland), Fernando Grillo and The Lódź Philharmony Orchestra, Andrzej Markowski, conductor
Recording: Bruzdowicz-Penderecki"
CD PAVANE-OLYMPIA RECORDS. Live recording in Lódź, 1984
Publisher CHOUDENS-PWN, Paris/Cracow
Four Seasons Greetings (1988/89), 48'
for string chamber orchestra and soloists
I: Spring - two violins
II: Summer - Piano 4 hands
III: Autumn - Flute
IV: Winter - Marimba
First performance: April 2, 1989, Poznań (Poland)
"The Cry of the Phoenix" Concerto for Cello and Symphony Orchestra (1994), 22'
(2 fl, 2 ob, 2 cl, 2 bsn, 4 h, 3 trp, 2 trb, 1tb, pf+hrp, 3 perc, 8 I vl, 8 II vl, 8 vle, 6 vcl, 6 cb,)
dedicated to the Warsaw Uprising 1944
First performance: 16 September 1994, Lublin, Poland, with Tomasz Strahl - cello.
Symphony No. 2 - "Concertino for Orchestra" (2007)
First Performance: 20 April 2007, Katowice, "2nd Festival of World Premieres." Performed by the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, dir. Ruben Silva
Concertino for Piano and Orchestra (2010)
6'
Dedicated to Wladyslaw Szpilman
First performance: Gdansk, Poland, July 9, 2010, Wikipedia International Conference
Katarina Tereszczenko, piano; Felix Reolon, cond.; Gdansk Symphony Orchestra
"Lella" - Oratorio Profane (2011)
55'
Story by Christiane Schapira
Mezzo-soprano, soprano, oboe, string quartet, percussion, female choir, speaker
First performance: Bastia, Corsica, France, November 9th, 2011
Conductor: Joanna Bruzdowicz and Corcisan interpreters
CHAMBER MUSIC
Wind Quintet (1966), 12'
First performance: 1966, Warsaw
Per Due (1966), 10'
for violin and piano
First performance: 1966, Warsaw
Epigrams (1966), 7'
for violin solo
First performance: 1966, Warsaw
Pub. PWM, Poland
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7266; Robert Szreder, violin
Erotiques (1966), 7'
for piano solo
First performance: 1966, Warsaw
Pub.Salabert, Paris
Record: "International Festival of the 20th Century - Nelson Delle Vigni Fabbri, piano
PAVANE ADW 7052-23
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7287 DDD; Carol Honigberg, piano
Niobe (1966), 15
Poetry of K.I.Gałczyński for speaker soprano and ensemble (fl, cl, vl, perc, pf)
First performance: 1966, Warsaw
Sketches from the Harbour (1967, 20')
Poems of José Gorostiza for mezzo-soprano and ensemble (fl, pf, 3 perc.)
First performance: 1967, Warsaw
Prize of Polish Composers Union
Pub. PWM, Poland
Esquisses (1969), 10'
for flute, viola, cello and piano
First performance: 1969, Valbella, Switzerland,
International Festival of Lenzerhide
Stigma (1969), 10'
for cello solo
First performance: Dec. 1970, Paris
Pub.: SALABERT
Pehnidi (1970), 7'
for harpsichord solo
First performance: 1971, Paris
Mater Polonica (1973), 10'
for organ solo
First performance: 1974, Paris, Notre-Dame de Paris
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Esitanza (1973), 7'
for two pianos four hands
First performance: 1973, Paris
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Episode (1973), 8'
for piano and 13 strings (7 vl, 4 vle, 2 vcl)
First performance: 1973, France, Festival de La Sainte-Baume
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
A Claire Voix (1973), 12'
Poem of J.F.Tetard for mixed choir and 4 instruments (3 wind-free choice and piano) + tape
First performance: 1973, Vichy, France
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Epitaphe (1972/73), 12'
for harpsichord and tape
Commissioned by Elisabeth Chojnacka
First performance: 1973, Vienna, Austria
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
An der Schönen Blauen Donau (1973/74), 10'
for two pianos and tape
First performance: 1974, Vienna, Muskikverein, Brahms Saal, Austria
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Ette (1974), 8'
for clarinet solo
First performance: 1976, Festival of Częstochowa, Poland
Einklang (1975), 10'
for harpsichord and organ.
Commissioned by Festival of Royan
First performance: 1975, Royan, France
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Trio (1975), variable duration
Variable instrumentation:
1.mezzo-soprano or baritone, cello and piano
2. 6 musicians (free choice)
3. 9 musicians (free choice)
Commissioned by Jean-Pierre Armengaud
First performance: 1975, Festival de Sainte-Baume, France
Equivocita (1978), 8'
Musical game for clavichord
Commissioned by Annette Sachs
First performance: 1978, Antwerpen, Belgium
October Sonate (1978), 15'
for piano
In memoriam 16.X.1978, Election of Pope Jean-Paul II
First performance: 1979, Stockholm, Sweden
Pub. TONOS, Darmstad, Germany
Record: "Messiaen-Bruzdowicz" Aquiles Delle Vigne, piano
PAVANE ADW 7054
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7287 DDD; Carol Honigberg, piano
Fantasia Hermantica on Thema S'A'B'B'E (1979)
for viola and piano
First performance, Brussels, Belgium, 1979
Tre Contre Tre (1979), 10'
for flute, oboe, viola and 3 percussion
Commissioned by ensemble "2E 2M" of Paul Mefano, France
First performance: 1979, Roma, Italy
Marlos Grosso Brasileiros (1980), 12'
"Chant d'amitié" for flute, violin, harpsichord and tape
Commissioned by "Trio Baroque", Brussels, Belgium
First performance: 1980, Brussels
Record "Trio Baroque"
PAVANE ADW 7035
Trio dei Due Mondi (1980), 17'
for violin, cello and piano. Commissioned by Radio France and "Trio Europeén", Brussels
First performance: Jan. 1981, Radio France, Paris
Pub.AA-WARSAW, Poland
Record: "XX' Century Music + E.Johnston and Grete von Zieritz by Mark Foster
Trio
MARCUS 308329 -EMI ELECTROLA
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7355; R. Szreder, B.J. Strobel, T. Strahl
Para y Contra (1981), 8'
for double-bass and tape
Commissioned by Rafael Gonzales de Lara
First performance: September 1981, Brussels, Belgium
Prélude et Fuge (1980), 4'
for harpsichord, for music school
First performance: 1980, Paris
Pub. CARROUSEL, Rideau Rouge
Trio per Trio (1981), 10'
Suita di Danze: "Polonese d'Agosto", "Tango Barocco", "Valse Lugubre" for flute, violin and harpsichord
Commissioned by "Trio Baroque", Brussels
First performance: Sept. 15, 1981, Brussels, Festival de Flandre, Belgium
Dreams and Drums (1982), 8'
for one percussion player
Commissioned by Marta Ptaszyńska
First performance: March 1982, Santa Barbara, USA
I. String Quartet La Vita (1983), 15'
Commissioned by "Varsovia String Quartet"
First performance: April 1983, Brussels
Record: "Lutosławski, Penderecki, Bruzdowicz" PAVANE ADW 7149 by "Varsovia String Quartet"
Great Record Prize in France: "Diapason d'Or" 1984
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7218; Varsovia String Quartet
Oracle (1982), 8'
for bassoon and tape (electronic music)
Commissioned by Alexandre Ouzounoff
First performance: March 1983, Paris
Ubi et Orbi (1985), 15'
Cantata for tenor, children's choir, two trumpets, two trombones, organ, with poems of Hubertus Hess and Jürgen Tittel
Commissioned by Sillenburgischer Stuttgart Konzerte
First performance: June, 23, 1985, Stuttgart, Germany
Pub.TONOS, Darmstadt
II. String Quartet Cantus Aeternus (1988), 14'
Commissioned by "Varsovia String Quartet" and Warsaw Philharmonic with speaker.
Poems by H. Miller, Cz. Miłosz, I. Bachmann, P. Eluard, J. Valverde, K. Gałczyński, K. Baczyński
First performance: May 10, 1988, Warsaw
Pub. CHOUDENS, Paris
Record "Zarębski-Bruzdowicz", CD PAVANE-RECORDS, ADW 7218
Aurora Borealis (1988), 8'
for harp and organ
Commissioned by Bergen Festival
First performance: May 22, 1988, Bergen, Norway
La Espero, 10'
Commissioned by "Medecins du Monde" for their Int. Congress in Cracow. Cantate for soprano, baritone, harpsichord, 2 vl,
1 vla, 2 vcl, 1 cb. Poem by Zamenhof (in Esperanto)
First performance: March 25, 1990, Cracow, Poland
I Violin Sonata "IL RITORNO"(1990), 18'
Commissioned by "Euphonia" European Broadcasting Union for violin solo
First performance: April 25, 1990, Zagreb, Yugoslavia
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7266; Robert Szreder, violin
On Prayer (1990), 7'
Song for soprano and piano
Commissioned by WFMT-Chicago`s Fine Arts Radio Station
First performance: Nov. 21, 1990, WFMT, Chicago
Je me souviens (1990), 10'
For marimba solo
Commissioned by Marie-Josée Simard
First performance: Dec. 17, 1990, Montreal, Canada
Stabat Mater (1993), 12'
for choir a capella
Commissioned by Polish Music Center, USC, Los Angeles
First performance: April 3, 1993, Los Angeles
Spring in America (1994), 21'
Sonata for violin and piano
Commissioned by Robert Szreder and Bogusław Strobel for their Lincoln Center Recital, New York
First performance: April 20, 1994, New York
CD - Pavane Records, ADW 7355
Word (1995-96), 20'
five songs for soprano and piano to the poetry by Czesław Miłosz
First performance: May 18, 1996, Chicago
Song of Hope and Love (1997), 14'
for cello and piano
Commissioned by Stephen and Carol Hoinberg for their concert in the USA Holocaust
Memorial Museum, Washington
First performance: June 22, 1997, Washington, DC
Symphonie (1997), 40'
for two guitars, percussion and string quintet or chamber orchestra
Commissioned by Valerie Duchateau and
Juan Carmona
First performance: Jan. 1998
Ave Maria (2007)
For Contralto and Organ
Commissioned by Catherine Dagois and Edgar Teufel
First performance: July, 2007, Perpignan, France
Toccata (2007)
For Organ solo
Commissioned by Edgar Teufel
First performance: May, 2007, Stuttgart, Germany
"From the Fever World" (2012)
6 songs for mezzo-soprano and piano and string quartet
Poetry by Jehanne Dubrow
First performance: May 13, 2012, Chicago, USA
 ELECTROACOUSTIC MUSIC
Ek-Stasis (1969), 15'
electroacoustic music for kinetic environment of Constantin Xenakis with participation of mimes
First performance: 1969, Paris
Phobos (1969), 8'
electronic music
First performance: 1969, Paris
Salto (1970), 9'
for percussion and tape
First performance: 1970, Paris
Fas en Nefas (1970), 8'
for guitar and tape
First performance: 1970, Paris
Le Danger (1970), 6'
for exhibition of Victor Cupsa in the Museum of Modern Art, Paris
First performance: 1970, Paris
Homo Faber (1971-75)
Electronic trilogy, dedicated to Max Frish
I. "Le Souffle" [Breath] for Alexander Soljenitsyne, 8'
First performance: 1972, Paris
II. "La Solitude" [Solitude] (in memoriam Charles Baudelaire), 10'
First performance Festival of Royan, France, 1972
III. "La Sérénité" [Serenity] to a poem by Paul Valery for Horst-Jürgen Tittel, 10'
First performance: 1975, Gent, Belgium
Record: "Bruzdowicz-Bogaert" PAVANE ADW7064
Inner Space - Outer Space (1978), 36'
electronic music
First performance: 1979, BRT-Radio, Belgium
Bartokalia (1979), 12'
for Bela Bartok, electronic music
First performance: 1980, Brussels
Neue Kinderszenen (1980)
electronic suite for children
I. "And they came all by train; Zorro, Mickey Mouse, Ali Baba...."
II. "One clever Bird and singing Bird"
III. "Barrel Organ and her monkey
First performance: BRT Radio, Belgium, 1980
FILM AND THEATER MUSIC
Le Hussard sur le toit (1969)
for French TV - Dir. by J. Lipchitz
Objets à Réflexion (1969)
Short feature about painter C.Xenakis, by Berndt Nyberg, Sweden
La Mort de Lord Chatterley (1972)
for French TV - Dir. by Gilles Katz
Les Cyclopes (1973)
Broadcasting theater, France, about Euripides
Chita je t'aime (1973)
for French TV - Dir. by Gilles Katz
Le Forêt d'Orléans (1976)
for French TV - Dir. by Gilles Katz
Die Geschichte eines Neugierigen Vogels (1976)
Music theater for children with improvisation about electronic music (tape and media)
with and for children
First performance: 1976, Versailles, France
Aussagen nach einer Verhaftung (1978)
For German TV ZDF - Dir. by G. Moorse
A propos de la neige fondue (1979)
feature film, France - Dir. by Gilles Katz
Tante Blandine (1982)
French TV Film A2 - by Guy Jorre
Islande (1982)
Short feature, Belgium - Dir. by Patrik Moors
Un échec de Maigret (1985)
for French TV A2 - Dir. Gilles Katz
Sans Toit, ni Loi (1985)
Feature Film, France - Dir. by Agnes Varda
"Golden Lion" - Prize in Mostra di Venezia in 1985
CD - "Milan", CD CH 347
Stahlkammer Zürich (1985-91)
36 TV-series for Bavaria, Germany. Script by Joanna Bruzdowicz and Horst-Jürgen Tittel
Le Jupon Rouge (1987)
Feature film, France - Dir. by Geneviéve Lefebre
Les Cinq Dernières minutes - Dernier grand prix (1987)
French film TFI - Dir. By Gilles Katz
Kung Fu Master (1988)
Feature film, France, Dir. by Agnes Varda
Jane B. by Agnes V. (1988)
Feature film, France, Dir. by Agnes Varda
Jeumont, 51 Minutes d'arrêt (Enquête du Commissaire Maigret) (1988/89)
for French TV, Dir. by Gilles Katz
Jacquot de Nantes (1991)
Feature film, France, Dir. Agnes Varda, Official Selection Cannes Festival
C'est l'homme que j'ai tué (1994)
French-Italian TV film Dir. Giorgio Ferrara
Les Grandes Dames du Strip-tease (1994)
French-Belgian film Dir. Françoise Levie
Un Air si pur (1997)
French-Polish feature film Dir. Yves Angelo, Festival Int. of Film, Montreal
Les Glaneurs et la glaneuse [The Gleaners and I] (2001)
French documentary, dir. Agnes Varda
Winner of the best non-fiction film awards from the New York, Los Angeles and Boston film critics associations, and the U.S. National Society of Film Critics
Two Years Later (2003)
French documentary
Agnes Varda, dir.
Les Ames Grises [Grey Souls] (2006)
French film, Dir. Yves Angelo
Entrepreneur (2006)
American documentary Film, Dir. Jonathan Bricklin
Testudo (2007)
French-British short film, Dir. Jörg Tittel
Les Plages d'Agnes [The Beaches of Agnes] (2008)
French film, dir. Agnes Varda
J'ai oublié de te dire [I Forgot to Tell You] (2009)
French film, dir. Laurent Vinas-Raymond
Starring Omar Sarif
Battle for Britain (2010)
Short film, dir. Alex Helfrecht, written by Jörg Tittel
Starring Julian Glover
Gilbert Planche (2010)
Italian-French documentary, dir. Giorgio Treves
De ci de la Agnes (2011)
6 French TV films for Canal Plus, dir. Agnes Varda
PMC Home Page
Composers
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Center
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This page edited in Dec. 2000
by Blanka Sobus
Updated May 8, 2012 by Krysta Close |
