Jan Krenz facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jan Krenz
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Jan Krenz
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| Born | 14 July 1926 |
| Died | 15 September 2020 (aged 94) |
| Nationality | Polish |
| Occupation | Composer Conductor |
Jan Krenz (born July 14, 1926 – died September 15, 2020) was a very talented Polish musician. He was known for being both a composer, who writes music, and an orchestra conductor, who leads groups of musicians.
Contents
About Jan Krenz
Early Life and Studies
Jan Krenz was born in Włocławek, Poland. Even during World War II, he continued his music studies. He learned to play the piano from Zbigniew Drzewiecki. He also studied how to compose music with Kazimierz Sikorski.
After the war, from 1945 to 1947, Jan Krenz went to the Academy of Music in Łódź. There, he kept learning about conducting from Kazimierz Wiłkomirski. He also continued his composition lessons with Sikorski.
Leading Orchestras
In 1949, Jan Krenz started working with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. He was the assistant conductor to Grzegorz Fitelberg. When Fitelberg passed away, Krenz took over as the main director of the orchestra. He led this important orchestra from 1953 to 1968.
Later, in 1968, he became the artistic director of the Grand Theatre in Warsaw. This is a very famous opera and ballet theater. From 1979 to 1982, he was the General Director of Music in Bonn, Germany. At the same time, he also directed the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen.
Jan Krenz was also a guest conductor for many other famous orchestras around the world. He worked with the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest in the Netherlands. He often performed with the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, Japan. Other top orchestras he led included the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in the USA, the Berlin Philharmonic in Germany, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in the Netherlands. He also conducted the Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra and the Czech Philharmonic.
Composing Music
Besides leading orchestras, Jan Krenz also wrote many pieces of music himself. On March 26, 1958, he was the first person to conduct a special piece called Musique funèbre by another famous composer, Witold Lutosławski.
Jan Krenz lived a long life dedicated to music. He passed away on September 15, 2020, when he was 94 years old.
Some of His Compositions
Jan Krenz wrote many different kinds of musical pieces. Here are a few examples of his works:
- I kwartet smyczkowy (1943) – This is a string quartet.
- Symfonia nr 1 (1947–1949) – His first symphony, a large piece for orchestra.
- Serenada klasyczna na małą orkiestrę (1950) – A classical serenade for a small orchestra.
- Musica per clarinetto solo (1958) – Music for a solo clarinet.
- Maski – tryptyk symfoniczny na orkiestrę (1982–1985) – A symphonic triptych (three-part piece) for orchestra called "Masks."
- Symfonia nr 2 (quasi una fantasia) (1989–1992) – His second symphony, almost like a fantasy.
- Requiem na baryton solo, chór mieszany i orkiestrę (2007) – A Requiem, which is a musical piece often for a choir and orchestra, for a solo baritone singer.
Awards and Honors
Jan Krenz received many awards and honors for his amazing contributions to music. These awards recognized his talent as a conductor and composer. Some of them include:
- Cross of Merit (1952)
- Order of Polonia Restituta (1954) – A very high Polish award.
- Nagroda Państwowa I stopnia (1971) – A State Award of the first degree.
- Order of the Banner of Work (1971)
- Diamentowa Batuta (Diamond Baton) (1995) – An honorary award for his 70th anniversary with Polish Radio.
- Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2005) – A medal for his artistic achievements.
- Doktorat honoris causa Akademii Muzycznej im. Grażyny i Kiejstuta Bacewiczów w Łodzi (2018) – An honorary doctorate from the Academy of Music in Łódź.
