“Prelude and Fugue” for alto saxophone and piano by Robert Kurdybacha: A synthesis of baroque traditions and contemporary musical aesthetics
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24195/artstudies.2025-3.25Keywords:
saxophone, piano, Polish composer, Robert Kurdybacha, polyphony, chamber music, neobaroqueAbstract
The article examines “Prelude and Fugue” for alto saxophone and piano by the Polish composer Robert Kurdybacha as an example of a contemporary reinterpretation of Baroque forms within the framework of postmodern musical aesthetics. Robert Kurdybacha is recognized as one of the important figures in contemporary Polish musical life. His oeuvre spans a wide range of genres – from symphonic and chamber music to electroacoustic projects.A significant part of his works are dedicated to compositions for wind instruments, including concertos for flute and saxophone with orchestra, as well as a number of chamber works featuring clarinet, flute, bass clarinet, and others. This attests to Kurdybacha’s deep interest in the expressive potential of these instruments and his consistent effort to renew and expand the modern classic repertoire for winds.The active involvement of the Wrocław-based artist as a composer, conductor, educator, and festival organizer has had a significant impact on shaping the contemporary musical landscape of Lower Silesia, as well as Poland as a whole. At the same time, his work has received little attention in Ukrainian musicology. The present publication constitutes one of the first attempts to introduce the figure of Robert Kurdybacha into the national academic discourse through an in-depth analysis of one of his chamber compositions.The analysis of “Prelude and Fugue” focuses on the specific features of its polyphonic organization, rhythmic structure, and musical language. The study highlights characteristic elements of the composer’s individual style, including a tendency toward intertextual thinking, the use of Baroque symbolism, and the synthesis of tradition with contemporary artistic trends.Particular attention is given to the role of Baroque rhetoric as an aesthetic marker within the postmodern context of the composition.In conclusion, “Prelude and Fugue” is affirmed as a work of high artistic value and a notable example of contemporary chamber repertoire that successfully merges traditional forms with a modern musical language. At the same time, the study emphasizes the need for further exploration of Robert Kurdybacha’s multifaceted creative legacy within Ukrainian musicological research.
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