Wojciech Kilar had a unique talent as a composer and pianist. However, at the threshold of great fame, he chose the composer’s career path. Why? Because he loved and celebrated life. He loved long walks in the park and conversations with his beloved wife, Barbara.
Moreover, he considered himself a lazy man and therefore abandoned his career as a pianist, as it required long daily exercises.
The focus on creating music allowed Kilar to become one of the greatest composers of the 20th century. This is proven by the soundtracks of films such as The Pianist and The Portrait of a Lady.
(c) PWM / Photo by J. Bebel
Scores of these and many other works by the Polish composer can be found free of charge in the collection of Polska Biblioteka Muzyczna (the Polish Music Library). The website is also available in English.