Zdzisław Piernik

Zdzisław Piernik (born 10 November 1937) is a Polish virtuoso tuba player.

Biography
Zdzisław Piernik graduated from the Warsaw Academy of Music in the class of. After being awarded at the 1970 National Festival of Young Musicians in Gdańsk he began his career as a soloist. Shortly afterwards he acquire success at recitals in the country and abroad, at festivals and holiday courses in Bayreuth, Witten, Darmstadt, Bourges, Stockholm, Los Angeles.

Piernik was the first tubist in Poland to implement flageolets, glissandos, frullatos and chords into his playing. He also began sonoristic experiments with prepared tuba. He is the inventor of the original preparation, remodelling the instrument to sound far from its natural tone.

Piernik worked closely with many composers demonstrating them the capabilities of the tuba, natural and prepared. As a soloist Piernik has taken part in hundreds of symphonic and chamber concerts, with extremely varied repertoire, starting from classical with his own transcriptions, ending with the newest acquisitions of contemporary music and his own compositions. His concerts, recordings and broadcasts for Polish Radio and television popularized playing on the tuba.

Piernik is designated as Lifetime Achievement Honorees of International Tuba Euphonium Association.

Piernik is still active, playing concerts and giving lectures.

More important works

 * Classical Repertoire
 * Luigi Boccherini: Minuet from String Quintet in E major, Op. 11, No. 5
 * Franz Schubert: Serenade
 * Robert Schumann: Traumerei
 * Antonín Dvořák: Humoreske
 * Henry Eccles: Sonata in G minor
 * Ignacy Jan Paderewski: Minuet
 * Modest Mussorgsky: Cattle ("Pictures at an Exhibition")
 * Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Rondo in E-flat major for Horn, K. 371
 * Camille Saint-Saëns: Morceau de Concert Op. 94, III. Allegro non-troppo
 * Camille Saint-Saëns: Elephant, Swan (Carnival of the Animals)


 * Contemporary Repertoire
 * Andrzej Dobrowolski: Music for Solo Tuba (1972)
 * Elżbieta Sikora: Il Viaggio 1 (1975)
 * Witold Szalonek: Piernikiana per Tuba Sola (1977)
 * : Vox per uno strumento ad ottone (1977)
 * Andrzej Krzanowski: Sonata for Solo Tuba (1978)
 * Krzysztof Penderecki: Capriccio per tuba / Scherzzo alla polacca (1980)
 * Bogusław Schaeffer: Projekt für Tuba und Tonband
 * Roman W. Zajączek: Tema cantabile con piernicazioni
 * Zdzisław Piernik: Dialogue für Tuba und Tonband

More important discography

 * Zdzisław Piernik – Tuba (LP) Polskie Nagrania SX 1210, 1975
 * Zdzisław Piernik – Piernik plays Sikora, Schäffer, Borkowski, Zajaczek, Piernik (LP) Intersound / ProViva ISPV 102, 1980
 * Zdzisław Piernik – Tuba (Polish Contemporary Music series) (LP) Polskie Nagrania SX 1806, 1982
 * Zdzisław Piernik, Michał Górczyński – Energa One (CD) Kariatyda, 2002
 * Zdzisław Piernik, Piotr Zabrodzki – Namanga (CD) Vivo Records, 2008