Zdzisław Piernik (; born 10 November 1937) is a Polish virtuoso tuba player.
Biography
Zdzisław Piernik graduated from the Warsaw Academy of Music in the class of . After being awarded at the 1970 National Festival of Young Musicians in Gdańsk he began his career as a soloist. Shortly afterwards he acquire success at recitals in the country and abroad, at festivals and holiday courses in Bayreuth, Witten, Darmstadt, Bourges, Stockholm, Los Angeles.
Piernik was the first tubist in Poland to implement flageolets, glissandos, frullatos and chords into his playing. He also began sonoristic experiments with prepared tuba. He is the inventor of the original preparation, remodelling the instrument to sound far from its natural tone.
Piernik worked closely with many composers demonstrating them the capabilities of the tuba, natural and prepared. As a soloist Zdzisław Piernik has taken part in hundreds of symphonic and chamber concerts, with extremely varied repertoire, starting from classical with his own transcriptions, ending with the newest acquisitions of contemporary music and his own compositions. His concerts, recordings and broadcasts for Polish Radio and television popularized playing on the tuba.
Zdzisław Piernik is designated as Lifetime Achievement Honorees of International Tuba Euphonium Association.
Piernik is still active, playing concerts and giving lectures.
More important works
Classical Repertoire
Luigi Boccherini: Minuet
Franz Schubert: Serenade
Robert Schumann: Traumerai
Anton Dvorak: Humoreske
Henry Eccles: Sonata in G minor
Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Minuet
Modest Musorgski: Cattle ("Pictures at an Exhibition") Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in E flat major KV 371 Camille Saint-Saëns: Morceau de Concert Op. 94 III. Allegro non-troppo Camille Saint-Saëns: Elephant, Swan ("Carnival of the Animals")
Contemporary Repertoire
Andrzej Dobrowolski: Music For Solo Tuba (1972) Elzbieta Sikora: Il Viaggio 1 (1975) Witold Szalonek: Piernikiana Per Tuba Sola (1977) : Vox Per Uno Strumento Ad Ottone (1977) Andrzej Krzanowski: Sonata For Solo Tuba (1978) Krzysztof Penderecki: Capriccio Per Tuba / Scherzzo Alla Polacca (1980) Bogusław Schäffer: Projekt Für Tuba Und Tonband Roman W. Zajączek: Tema Cantabile Con Piernicazioni Zdzisław Piernik: Dialogue Für Tuba Und Tonband
More important discography
Zdzisław Piernik – Tuba (LP) Polskie Nagrania SX 1210, 1975
Zdzisław Piernik – Piernik plays Sikora, Schäffer, Borkowski, Zajaczek, Piernik (LP) Intersound / ProViva ISPV 102, 1980 Zdzisław Piernik – Tuba (Polish Contemporary Music series) (LP) Polskie Nagrania SX 1806, 1982 Zdzisław Piernik, Michał Górczyński – Energa One (CD) Kariatyda, 2002 Zdzisław Piernik, Piotr Zabrodzki – Namanga (CD) Vivo Records, 2008
Notes
References
Bibliography
John Griffiths. Zdzisław Piernik Biography in Tuba Euphonium Legends, Windsong Press.
External links
Zdzisław Piernik in The National Film Archive Digital Repository (Polish, English) Zdzisław Piernik in Polish Film Internet Database (Polish) Zdzisław Piernik in Polish Music Information Centre (Polish) Zdzisław Piernik in Culture.pl (Polish, English) Official page: piernik.art.pl