News
Henryk Czyż is dead
2003-01-23
On January 16 Henryk Czyż died in Warsaw. We have lost an outstanding conductor, composer and educator.
Henryk Czyż, a Polish conductor and composer, was born in Grudziądz on 16 April 1923. Between 1946-48 he studied law and philosophy at the Nicholas Copernicus University in Toruń and at the same time collaborated with Wilam Horzyca in the Ziemia Pomorska [Pomerania Region] Theatre. In 1952 he graduated from the State Higher School of Music in Poznań where he studied composition with Tadeusz Szeligowski and conducting with Walerian Bierdiajew. Between 1952-53 he conducted in the Stanisław Moniuszko Opera in Poznań, between 1953-57 was second conductor of the Polish Radio Full Symphony Orchestra, between 1957-60 - artistic director and first conductor of the Łódź Philharmonic, between 1961-62 - conductor of the Opera in Warsaw and between 1963-67 - artistic director and first conductor of the Cracow Philharmonic. Between 1962-66 he taught a conducting class at the State Higher School of Music in Cracow, his pupils including A. Pałka and A. Wit. Between 1971-74 he acted as Generalmusikdirektor in Düsseldorf, and, from 1972 - at the same time - artistic director and first conductor of the Łódź Philharmonic.
Czyż appeared in almost all the European countries, in South America and the USA, conducting the symphony orchestras of Leningrad (St. Petersburg at present), Berlin, Stockholm, Madrid, BBC, Santa Cecilia and so on. He recorded a number of records on the labels of Polskie Nagrania (Polish Recordings), Philips, Harmonia Mundi, Mielodija, Electrola, which won numerous international awards, such as Grand Prix du Disque and the Edison prize for the recording of Penderecki's St Luke Passion - Philips 1967, Grand Prix Mondial for the quadrophonic recording of Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri - Electrola 1974. From 1980 Czyż taught a composition class at the Academy of Music in Warsaw. His extensive repertory included many oratorio forms, a considerable amount of classical and modern music. He introduced a number of works by Stravinsky, Honegger, Debussy and others into Polish concert halls and opera houses. Between 1966-69 he collaborated closely with Krzysztof Penderecki, conducting the first performances of St Luke Passion, Dies irae, The Devils of Loudun and presenting his works in many countries.
He published several books on music, including Flight from under the Clef, Warsaw 1973, translated into German with the title Giocoso ma non troppo, Berlin 1974; A China Cupid, Warsaw 1977; As if from the Music, Warsaw 1978; Serkal and other Teasers, Łódź 1978; The Devil Is Not So Black - Television Tales, Łódź 1979; Teasers, Warsaw 1982; Scriptease, Warsaw 1988; I Remeber as if Today, Warsaw 1993; Untimely Jokes, Warsaw 1995.
Czyż was decorated with: A Gold Cross of Merit (1953), A Chevalier Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1958), A Prize of the Ministry of Culture and Art, first degree (1975), A State Prize, first degree, for the entire oeuvre (1978).
Compositions: Triptych 1948; Study 1949; Variations on a Polish Theme 1950; Quartet for wind instruments, 1949; Divertimento for chamber orchestra, 1950; Wedding Party, cantata for baritone, mixed choir and orchestra, words by B. Jasieński, 1949; morality-opera A Woman with White Hair, libretto by the composer after an idea by D. Baduszkowa, 1962; a comic opera Distracted Cynologist, libretto by Sławomir Mrożek, 1965; Inge Bartsch after K. I. Gałczyński, 1982. Film music: Cellulose (1954, directed by J. Kawalerowicz), Ewa Wants to Sleep (1957, directed by T. Chmielewski), Rancho Texas (1959, directed by W.Berestowski), Spade Knave (1960, directed by T. Chmielewski).
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