Birthday Party

1. Włodzimierz Kotoński - Study on One Cymbal Stroke. Musique Concréte
2. Robert Piotrowicz - Man with a Stick
3. Teoniki Rożynek - Study for Handle Mechanism and One Spring
4. Tomek Mirt - Disintegration of Artificial Idiophones
5. Cezary Duchnowski - Sequenza I. Study for a Second Cymbal Stroke
6. Miłosz Pękala - Noise Study for Percussion and Electronic Devices
7. Wojciech Błażejczyk - Étude Semi-Concrete. Study for Many Strokes on Different Objects for Objectophones and Guitars
8. Hubert Zemler - Ballad on B20
9. Włodzimierz Kotoński Study on One Cymbal Stroke. Musique Concréte

Performers:
Tomek Mirt - analogue synthesizer (4)
Miłosz Pęka la - percussion, electronics (5, 6)
Wojciech Błażejczyk - guitar, objectophones (7)
Hubert Zemler - percussion (8)
Ma łe Instrumenty - toy instruments (9)

Everything started in January 1959. It was when the first autonomous composition was created at the Experimental Studio of Polish Radio, which had been established only 2 years earlier. The piece marked the beginning of Polish electronic music, and 60 years is an entire era! What seemed at that time to be new, impossible, abstractly alluring, today sounds with a note of nostalgia and fits into the overwhelmingly popular trend of retromania, which was also characteristic of the old avant-garde. We can’t deny that we miss the old school!

Etiuda na jedno uderzenie w talerz (Study on One Cymbal Stroke) by Włodzimierz Kotoński was the first of its kind. To celebrate the Study’s 60th birthday, Polish composers were commissioned by Program 2 of Polish Radio to create works inspired by the piece. “Birthday Party” album is a recording of this unique concert.