LUBEC — The concert premiere of Al Kryszak’s “De-Evolutionary Etudes” (solo piano) will be Wednesday, June 26 at 7:30 p.m. at the SummerKeys Institute at the Congregational Christian Church.
“The world premiere of Kryszak’s 3rd piano collection, “De-Evolutionary Etudes” is at SummerKeys Institute on the June 26 concert. The solo piano etude collection follows 2012’s “Transparent Preludes” and 2020’s “Lux Internum” (Internal Light) Nocturne collection.
The 12-movement collection includes musical, technical and psychological challenges: questions like: “what is the speed where harmonic changes stand still” and “Am I still a modern composer if my creepy Romanian/Polish heritage takes over the piano and I start to sound like a Carpathian Walt?”
The concert will be repeated at The Eagle Hill Institute this Aug. 17
Kryszak is a composer/musician/filmmaker with 40 years of concert, film, and visual work, released on KINO International, AppleMusic and The Orchard/Atlantic Screen Group. Concert & film music has premiered on Turner Classic Movies, The Film Society of Lincoln Center, KINO International, Los Angeles Directors Guild, Symphony Space, The North American New Music Festival, The Atlantic Center for the Arts, Carnegie Recital Hall and SummerKeys Institute, among other venues.
New music includes Ukrainian virtuoso Svetlana Belsky’s premiere of the Nocturnes for Solo Piano “Lux Internum”, “Murmur Rations” (2021), “Soft Clowns of the Sea”, “Transparent Preludes” (Piano Collection), “All The Luck” (Clarinet and Orchestra) and the Piano Concerto. Kryszak’s music video “Time Without Guilt” in 2018 at the Toronto Short Film Festival, and “2020’s Got A Ring To It” at The New Haven International Film Festival in 2021. Gina Naggar and The New England Film Orchestra ‘s premiere of Kryszak’s Turner Classic Movies scores in 2022, continues with 2025’s “Nosferatu” score for orchestra & cimbalom.
Much of Kryszak’s work brings new concert music to diverse audiences and rare silent films, including “Hamlet” (Sven Gade 1921), “Limite” (Mario Peixoto 1930) & “Fall of the House of Usher” (1928). Kryszak’s live scores for “Intolerance” (Griffith 1916) premiered in New York at Symphony Space on the “Film & Censorship” series hosted by Martin Scorsese, & “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” guitar score, premiered at The World Trade Center’s Wintergarden Theater in 1999. Turner Classic Movies features 9 of his new works for silent film.
His current documentary feature “The Religion Move”, premieres at The Roxie in San Francisco, followed by screenings in Europe at the Amsterdam World Canvas and Swiss Screenwriting and Cinematic Summit film festivals this Spring. His other feature documentary films are on PBS including: “Hungry Now”, “When The Chevy Breaks”, “Whatever Works: Exploring Opiate Addiction” with a Docs Without Borders Award, & “Privacy & The Power of Secrets”, at The Hague Global Cinema Festival & Sweden Film Awards, with The Boston Globe reviewing the US premiere:
“Artful & engaging, it’s the way a movie like this should be made,” (Peter Keough 4-24-21).
Kryszak earned a masters in music composition at SUNY Buffalo, studying with Morton Feldman, Louis Andriessen, Lukas Foss, Lou Harrison, Bill Kothe, and Yvar Mikhashoff. He also had the honor of special film studies with Hollywood legends Leonard Rosenman & Earle Hagan in Los Angeles. He currently teaches at the University of Maine at Machias, Unity College, and Southern New Hampshire University, and premiered his 6th doc film “The Religion Move” in Boston at The Somerville Theatre this June 24.
