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ECSTASY AND EUPHORIA – CROSSING BOUNDARIES IN IGNACY ZALEWSKI’S MUSIC

I. H. Swidnicka

Abstract

Neo-avant-garde, neo-sonorism or, at least in some cases, simply electronic В‘rumblingВ’ seem to predominate in the music of classical contemporary composers. Listening to this kind of music may result in overstimulation, leaving audiences tired and disheartened. Consequently, the existing disparity between listeners and musicians continues to grow as artists try to outdo each other by coming up with ever smarter and more shocking technological effects and experiments. Ignacy Zalewski is a composer that tries to put a stop to this constantly increasing gap between the artist and the recipient. A representative of the youngest generation of composers, he values beauty, sophisticated sound, classical form, motif-based approach and traditional instrumentation in music. ZalewskiВ’s already impressive artistic output comprises many works composed with a specific performer in mind, including a dozen or so dedicated to Leszek Lorent, an outstanding Polish percussionist. In my paper I will focus on Sinfonia Concertante No. 2, which I would like to present for two reasons: firstly, because nowadays it is a rarely used form; and secondly, because it is a form that hardly ever chooses percussion as a solo instrument. Ignacy ZalewskiВ’s piece consists of four movements which (similarly to Carl NielsenВ’s The Four Temperaments) correspond to four different emotions: anger (first movement), sadness (second movement), joy (third movement) and ecstasy (final movement). The parts are diversified not only with respect to agogics, instrumentation and dynamics but also in terms of energy and artistic expression. Leading us through the respective affections, Zalewski allows us to feel all of them and to experience the pleasant state of well-being (euphoria), elation and delight (ecstasy), thus crossing the boundaries between the composer and the listeners.

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DOI resolver: doi.org/10.5593/sgemsocial2019V/6.1/S16.038

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