Zbigniew Karkowski Form and Disposition (2008/2022)

for solo percussion with live-electronics [ca. 40’

reconstructed, arranged and interpreted by Aleksander Wnuk and Piotr Peszat

Aleksander Wnuk, percussion and live-electronics
Piotr Peszat, sound design

With the goal of expanding music until there is nothing else but music, composer Zbigniew Karkowski shattered the barriers between classical music, electronics, and noise. Born in 1958 in Krakow, Poland, he studied in Gothenburg, Sweden, The Hague, Netherlands, and eventually moved to Tokyo, Japan, where he was active in the underground noise scene until his death in 2013. Karkowski crafted an uncompromising sonic world, filled with vibrant musical textures that thrived on loud volumes. His work was characterized by stark contrasts, a focus on inner tension, and a unique dramaturgy. For Karkowski, making music meant using two parameters: time and sound. Yet the body—both of the performer and the listener—was always integral to the process.

Aleksander Wnuk, a Krakow-based multi-percussionist and performer, shares Karkowski’s urge to push beyond boundaries. He combines classical music training with a curiosity to take risks in live performances. Following a commission by the Sacrum Profanum Festival in 2022, Wnuk joined forces with Piotr Peszat, a composer and sound artist, to bring one of Karkowski’s exceptional works, Form and Disposition for solo percussion and live electronics (2008), to the stage. Originally composed for percussionist Daniel Buess, the piece was never notated and survived only through live performances and some recordings, as Karkowski perceived scores as limiting filters that can kill music. With only two recordings, Wnuk has begun exploring Karkowski’s musical language through interviews, other works, and by contacting his collaborators.

Expanding on this, Wnuk has crafted his own intuitive interpretation, essentially rewriting the piece. Using a chronological structure, unique instruments (some self-made), and Peszat’s digital electronic tools developed in Ableton LIVE, the musicians infuse extensive emotionality and physicality into the performance, emphasizing the tactile nature of the sound. The result is a ritualistic form that evokes shamanistic practices, reflecting a genuine effort and experience. In Form and Disposition, Wnuk explores the perception of the smallest oscillations in sound, both at the moment when it is fleeting and at the time of its enormous intensity.

Following in Karkowski’s footsteps, Wnuk and Peszat have created a challenging experience rooted in the physical essence of sound, adapting it each time to the unique acoustics of the venue.