Jan Krenz

[Alan Howe]

Again as requested by Marek:

Krenz, Jan
(b Włocławek, 14 July 1926). Polish conductor and composer. He studied the piano, conducting and composition (with Sikorski) at the State Music College in Łódź, and made his début conducting the Łódź PO in 1945, followed in 1949 by opera and concerts with the Poznań PO, with which he also made gramophone records. In 1949 he was appointed assistant conductor of the Polish Radio National SO in Katowice, and succeeded Fitelberg as principal conductor in 1953, remaining until 1968, when he became principal conductor at the Warsaw Opera. He began to tour abroad with growing success during the 1950s, visiting Europe, Japan and Australia, and making his British début in 1961. He returned the next year with the Polish Radio National SO for concerts at the Edinburgh Festival and a British tour including his London début (October); he was praised for his firm control, vitality of spirit and lack of sentimentality. These qualities were confirmed when he returned to conduct contemporary Polish music at the 1967 Cheltenham Festival and at the Promenade Concerts with the Polish Radio National SO. From 1979 to 1982 he was Generalmusikdirektor in Bonn. He has given the premières of numerous Polish works, including Górecki's Symphony no.1 (1959). Krenz's compositions include a cantata, Dwa miasta ('Dialogue between Two Towns', 1950), a symphony (1950) and Symphonic Dance (1951), works for small orchestra and string orchestra, chamber works and songs with piano. After 1952 his compositions became fewer and he adopted a serial idiom and aleatory techniques, as in his Capriccio per 24 strumenti (1962). He received a Polish State Prize in 1955 and the Union of Polish Composers' Prize in 1968.
(From Grove online)

Works - from Wikipedia, using automatic translation:

String quartet (1943)
Triptych for voice and piano (1946)
Symphony No. 1 (1947-1949)
Classical Serenade for small orchestra (1950)
Two Songs (sad and happy) for a cappella choir (1950)
Quartet for flute, oboe, clarinet and bassoon (1950)
Symphonic Dance for Orchestra (1951)
Rural Serenade for small orchestra (1951)
Rhapsody for string orchestra, xylophone, tam-tam, timpani and celesta (1952)
Concertino for piano and small orchestra (1952)
Musica per clarinetto solo (1958)
Capriccio for 24 instruments (1961-62)
Messa per coro breve e Campana (1982)
Masks - symphonic triptych for orchestra (1982-85)
Musica da camera (Quartetto No.. 3) Per Quartetto d'archi (1983)
Sonatina per due violini salt (1986)
Epitaphion for orchestra (1989-90)
Symphony No. 2 (Quasi una fantasia) (1989-92)
Sinfonietta per fiati (1994-95)
Impromptu pour violoncelle (1997)
Tristan in memoriam. Postlude per Quartetto d'archi (1997)
Aria and Perpetuum Mobile for orchestra (2004)
Overture for symphony orchestra (2005)
Requiem for baritone solo, mixed choir and orchestra (2007)

[markniew]

Alan, once more thank you.
Krenz is - in my opinion - most traditional composer of all three members of the 1949 group. Of, course I am not a specialist in musicology but as I can hear his recent compositions are not so different from his early works as is the case of Baird and - much more - in case of Serocki. Will try to upload a number of his pieces. Mr Krenz was principally a conductor during his long carreer. He restarted composing in l80-90s or so. few year ago a CD set with his compositions was issued by Polish Radio.

[dax]

Masks is an orchestration of Szymanowski's Masques for piano. I possess a score which suggests that it would be most interesting to hear. Well it would be anyway . . .

[Delicious Manager]

I only know Jan Krenz as a conductor - mostly of contemporary music and specifically of the Serocki LP mentioned under the thread dedicated to that composer.

[Alan Howe]

I didn't know that he composed either. He's a fine conductor.

[markniew]

In the Downloads/Polish Music you can find:

JAN  KRENZ    (1926)   
Symphony no. 3   (2001-03)
1    mov. I.  Preludio. Elegie. Postludio   mov. II.  Dies Irae     
2    mov. III Canzona quasi cadenza   mov. IV. Finale. Purgatorio 
Polish Radio National SO [of Katowice]  /  cond. Jan Krenz

/off radio April-June 2006/

[markniew]

JAN  KRENZ    (1926) 
Symphony no. 2 (quasi una fantasia) (1989-92)

is available in the Downloads/Polish Music

[markniew]

Another piece by Jan Krenz available in the Downloads/Polish Music:

JAN  KRENZ   (1923)
"Two Cities" (or "Conversation of Two Cities") - Cantata for Two Choirs and Orchestra (1950)
/text by Konstanty I. Gałczyński (1905-1953)/

Choir and Orchestra of the Kraków Philharmonic
cond. Józef Wiłkomirski

[markniew]

Two pieces by Krenz
I am not a great fan of choral/vocal music but I have recorded these two songs so upload them also

JAN  KRENZ   (1926)   
      
Two Songs for Choir a capella to folk texts   (1950)
1. Sad Song
2. Jolly Song
Polish Radio Choir
cond. Marek Kluza

 
Concertino for Piano and Orchestra  (1952)
1. Lento e rubato. Allegro con spirito
2. Andante sostenuto
3. Allegro vivace
Adam Wodnicki, pianoPolish Radio National SO
cond. Tadeusz Wojciechowski


Concertino is a joyful piece that was initially thought as a pedagogical composition