The recipient of numerous international awards, including the Lili Boulanger Memorial Fund Award of Boston (1960) and two awards from the Polish Minister of Culture (1967 and 1976), Wojciech Kilar is one of Poland's most famous and highly respected composers. Heavily influenced by the music of John Cage, Kilar is known for integrating elements of Polish folk music with classical pieces. His most influential works include A Short Overture, Ode to Bela Bartok in Memoriam, and Exodus. Kilar has scored many films since he provided the music for Glos Z Tamtego Swiata/The Voice From Beyond in 1962. He has worked extensively with such Polish directors as Krysztof Zanussi and Andrzej Wajda, but also occasionally scores international productions. His work for Francis Ford Coppola's Bram Stoker's Dracula (1992) earned him the ASCAP Award and he was nominated for the Anthony Asquith Award for Film Music (a BAFTA Film Award) for his work in Roman Polanski's The Pianist (2002). Kilar passed away in 2013 at age 81.
Wojciech Kilar
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