Early Works
Abel Korzeniowski
Caldera Records is proud to present a two CD set with works by beloved composer Abel Korzeniowski. Before he rose to fame with scores like “A Single Man” and “Penny Dreadful”, the Polish born musician wrote several compositions for stage plays in his home country. Among them were “I Served the King of England” (2003), “The Odyssey” (2005), “Kafka” (2001), “Antigone” (1996) and “The Tempest” (2003) which celebrate their premiere release on this set. Excerpts from some of these works were previously released on a digital promo by the composer. The works presented here show the wide variety of styles Korzeniowski applies due to his incredible talent. “I Served the King of England” is one of his most original scores with a distinctive Eastern European flavour due to the use of a hammered dulcimer and accordion. “The Odyssey” is something completely different altogether, evoking ancient Greek music mixed with modern Western influences, using traditional as well as medieval instruments while “Kafka” is probably the quirkiest music ever written by its composer – and yet surprisingly sorrowful and dark at times. “Antigone” is as experimental as “Kafka”; written for choir, the complex music is certainly demanding for the singers but rewarding to listen to with its unusual harmonies, counterpoints and motifs which are not obvious at first. “The Tempest” is more traditional in that sense and immediately accessible with its elegant melodies and interesting musical colors. If you either like Korzeniowski because of his biggest successes like “A Single Man” or if you are just discovering this composer, this CD set is the perfect accompaniment for you: a most diverse collection which presents treasures to discover for everybody. As a bonus, we included an exclusive interview with the composer where he talks about his work. Due to the length of the interview, it is not included on the actual CD but can be downloaded on the interview via a link provided. Furthermore, we printed examples of the written score for “Antigone” in the booklet. The 13th CD-release of Caldera Records features a detailed booklet-text by Gergely Hubai and elegant artwork by Luis Miguel Rojas. The CD was produced by Stephan Eicke and John Elborg.
C6013
Music Composed, Orchestrated and Conducted by Abel Korzeniowski
Album Produced by Stephan Eicke
Executive Producers for Caldera Records: John Elborg, Stephan Eicke
Album Art Direction and Design: Luis Miguel Rojas
CD 1
I Served the King of England
1. Danube River (3:32)
2. Dumka (4:29)
3. Tango (3:49)
4. Cenacle (3:39)
5. Slava (5:11)
The Odyssey
6. Odysseus’ Theme (4:17)
7. Athena (1:36)
8. Circe (5:33)
9. Maenads (3:34)
10. The Cows of Helios (1:44)
11. Penelope’s Theme (1:27)
12. Sirens (2:12)
13. Orgy (2:10)
14. The Trojans (5:27)
CD 2
Kafka
1. Memoirs (4:17)
2. Dance Obscene (3:05)
3. Amalia (3:15)
4. Intermezzo (2:53)
Antigone
5. Stasimon I (4:06)
6: Stasimon II (5:34)
7. Stasimon III (3:02)
8. Stasimon V (5:09)
The Tempest
9. Song of Time (3:42)
10. Dance of Tempest (2:07)
11. Arliel’s Dance (3:16)
12. Ding-Dong (3:46)
13. Ariel’s Tears (3:59)
14. Song of Light (2:07)
15. Dance of Fertility (2:37)
16. Dance of Love (1:18)
17. Love Theme (0:29)
18. Song of Time II (3:45)
Bonus:
Interview with Abel Korzeniowski (22:04)
Reviews
“Caldera have compiled and released a most interesting album that explores Abel Korzeniowski’s earlier works for the stage. It’s a fascinating, not always easy but certainly rewarding exploration of the composer’s music. Caldera’s booklet is most helpful in providing some details about the stories, and allowing the composer to add a few comments about the music. It’s a wonderful package that is absolutely worth exploring.”
Synchrotones.Wordpress.com
“Each different piece of music from the varied and complex “Early works” collection is a reason to love Abel Korzeniowski’s compositions even more. His early musings are just as wonderful and rewarding as the scores we’ve been listening to for a few years now. I’m grateful to Caldera for this release and for the change to discover the first sprouts of the career of one of my favorite composers.”
SoundtrackDreams.com
“Whether you’re a fan of the composer, or just a lover of classical music or scores in general, there really is no excuse for not having this wonderfully produced album in your collection.”
ReviewGraveyard.com
“This is a unique opportunity to examine the unpublished so far, the unusual and very interesting works of this Polish composer. For collectors and enthusiasts of music, Abel is a must!”
Filmmusic.pl
“The composer wrote very varied music, ranging from Greek folk both lyrical and harsh, to very beautiful melodies. The minimalist main themes are remarkable,making the compositions unreal and fantastical.”
MundoBSO.com
“Abel Korzeniowski is a fantastic and versatile composer whose music is deeply rooted in melody and emotion. He has an incredible ability to flesh out characters and pull the audience into the story with his masterful writing. This collection of early works is an amazing compilation that allows us a glimpse into the start of his career, and hopefully people who haven’t discovered Abel’s work can use it as a great introduction to his music.”
FilmMusicMedia.com
“It’s all very fascinating, unusual, even challenging material, and Caldera should be commended to bringing these stage play scores to our attention and edification.”
BuySoundtrax.com
“When silence returns, there is an urgency to repeat playing this essential album. Beyond the varied canvas drawn by those five scores, one can think about concepts of beauty, energy, freedom and creativity that spring. The album proofs that Abel Korzenowski is not only a great film score composer, he’s a great composer. We now hope hope that this beautifully produced album will be the first of a kind.”
Underscores.fr