Zbigniew Preisner

Preisner was born in Bielsko-Biala, Poland. He studied history and philosophy at Krakow, and never received formal lessons in music, instead teaching himself by copying down parts from recordss.

Preisner is best known for his work on Kieślowski's movies. Some of those movies make reference to a fictitious Dutch composer by the name of Van den Budenmayer, and Preisner writes the music which in the plot of the movie is said to be by Budenmayer.

After working with fellow Pole, Agnieszka Holland on Kieślowski's Three Colors: Blue, Preisner was hired by producer Francis Ford Coppola to write the score for The Secret Garden, directed by Holland.

Although Preisner is most closely associated with Kieslowski, he has written for other directors, winning a César in 1996 for his work on Jean Becker's Elisa. He has won a number of other awards, including another César in 1994 for Three Colors: Red, and the Silver Bear from the Berlin Film Festival in 1997 for The Island on Bird Street.

Joni Mitchell's symphonic-rock CD "Travelogue," released in 2002, includes a version of Preisner's "Song For The Unification of Europe" written for Three Colors: Blue.

In 1998, Requiem for My Friend, Preisner's first large scale work not written for film, was premiered. It was originally intended as a narrative work to be written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz and directed by Kieślowski, but after Kieślowski's death, it instead became a sort of memorial to him.

He composed the theme music for the monumental 26 parts BBC documentary, called as People's Century (1998).

Preisner's style is basically Romantic, with Jean Sibelius being an acknowledged influence.

External link