ANA 016
CONTEMPORARY CARILLON
Bells have for centuries remained an element of the Polish audiosphere. ‘For the Angelus bells are ringing…’ wrote Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer of these sounds which have been as natural to the landscape as thatched roofs, village graveyards, rivers and woods. Even so, the carillon (a set of at least 23 tower bells activated by means of a special keyboard) still appears to be an exotic instrument and its potential largely remains unrecognised. Luckily, in Poland we have a diligent promoter of carillon culture, Monika Kaźmierczak, D.M.A., graduate of the Gdańsk Academy of Music and the Netherlands Carillon School in Amersfoort, who holds the post of Gdańsk’s carillonneur. Though the history of her chosen instrument goes back to the 16th century, its possibilities are much more than merely historical. Proof of this can be found on this album, in the form of works composed by Zygmunt Krauze, Paweł Mykietyn, Aleksander Nowak, Agata Zubel, and Elżbieta Sikora.
1–8 Elżbieta Sikora Running North for carillon
1 Introduction
2 I
3 II
4 III
5 IV
6 Interlude
7 V
8 Epilogue
9–11 Aleksander Nowak Three Callings for carillon
9 Early Calling
10 Late Calling
11 Last Calling
12 Zygmunt Krauze Reveille for carillon
13 Paweł Mykietyn STOP for carillon
14 Agata Zubel Memory of Bronze for carillon