Bargielski, Zbigniew

Born in 1937 in Łomża, Poland. In 1954–57 he studied law at the Maria Curie Skłodowska University in Lublin. In 1958 he began his music studies with Piotr Perkowski and Tadeusz Szeligowski at the State School of Music in Warsaw before moving to Katowice to study with Bolesław Szabelski. He honed his compositional technique with Nadia Boulanger in Paris and the High School of Music in Graz. In 1965 he won the 1st Prize at the Polish Composers’ Union’s Young Composers’ Competition for his Parades for orchestra. He also wrote about music for periodicals like ITD, Kurier Polski, and Literatura. He served various functions in the Polish Composers’ Union (secretary of the Warsaw branch, member of the Board, member of the Admissions Committee, member of the Programme Committee of the Warsaw Autumn Festival). He received commissions notably the Polish Composers’ Union, Polish Radio, Austrian Radio, City of Graz, Friends of the Konzerthaus in Vienna, Alban Berg Foundation, and Austrian Ministry of Culture. In 1981 he was nominated for the International Rostrum of Composers in Paris for his String Quartet no. 1, winning the Prize in 1995 for Trigonalia. In 1986 he was awarded a Darmstadt scholarship by the German government. For many years, he lived in Graz and Vienna and took part in contemporary music festivals and concerts all over the world. Zbigniew Bargielski has worked with many distinguished ensembles and soloists including the Alban Berg Quartet, Arditti Quartet, Hugo Wolf Quartet, Silesian String Quartet, Wilanów String Quartet, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Frances–Marie Uitti, Mogens Elegard, Leif Segerstam, Elżbieta Chojnacka, and Elsbeth Moser. He was active as a teacher in Austria and is now professor of composition at the music academies in Cracow and Bydgoszcz. In addition, he writes music for film and theatre. His artistic accomplishments earned him the Medal for Services to Polish Culture (1990), O cer’s Cross of Polonia Restituta (1995), Anton Benya Preis (2000), Polish Composers’ Union Prize (2001), and Gloria Artis Gold Medal (2011). 

Selected works (since 1995): Concertino for piano and chamber Orchestra (1995), Dance on the Verge of Light for chamber ensemble (1995), Source of Hope for alto saxophone and marimba (1995), Lost–Foundfor violin (1996), Remembrance of Sounds Lost for flute (1996), Tangofor chamber ensemble (1997), Landscape of Memories (Witold Lutosławski in memoriam) for violin, cello and piano (1996), Hierophany for five percussionists (1996), à la espagnola for guitar (1996), Slapstick for chamber orchestra (1997), String Quartet no. 4 Burning Time (1998), Shrine for Anonymous Victim, electronic music (1999), Light Cross, electronic music (2000), Tangoroso for piano four hands (2000), Flea Market for piano (two and four hands) (2000, also version for chamber ensemble), Toward Organic Geometry, electronic music (2001), String Quartet no. 5 Time Gone (2001), Burning Crystal for harpsichord and tape (2002), Jeux à trois for three accordions (2003), Letter to Milena for soprano, violin and piano (2005), Espace attrapé for orchestra (2005), String Quartet no. 6 Dramatic (2006), Nocturne in Red and Blue for violin and string orchestra (2007), Concerto for trumpet and orchestra (2007), Beyond the Horizon, oratorio for choir and symphony orchestra (2008), Inventions and Oddstates for small symphony orchestra (2009), String Quartet with Flute (2009), Mystery of Space for symphony orchestra, choir and tape (2010), Non omnis... for chamber ensemble (2010), Hierophany – Découpage for percussion and chamber ensemble (2011), Das schöne Zimmer for baritone and chamber ensemble (2011), Schizophony for string quartet and piano (2012), Concerto for piano, percussion and symphony orchestra (2012–13), anilo – vi – klänge for ensemble (2018).