Requiem for My Friend

Zbigniew Preisner's first large scale work was originally intended as a narrative work to be written by Krzysztof Piesiewicz and directed by Kieślowski. Instead, it became a memorial to Kieślowski after the director's death. The Lacrimosa from the work appears in Terrence Malick's The Tree of Life. The first part - Requiem - is in nine movements and is scored for soprano, organ, two countertenors, tenor, bass, string quintet and percussion. It was recorded in Warsaw Cathedral and the Emaus Church in Krakow. The second part - Life - is also in nine movements and is scored for soprano, voice, countertenor, recorder, alto saxophone, piano, sixty-piece orchestra and forty-piece choir. It was recorded in Studio S2/S4 of Polish Radio, Warsaw and the Emaus Church in Krakow.