Piotr Rubik
Piotr Rubik | |
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Symphonic pop | |
Occupation(s) | Composer, conductor, music producer |
Instrument(s) | Cello, piano |
Piotr Rubik (Polish pronunciation:
Biography
Rubik was born 3 September 1968 in
Piotr Rubik worked with various Polish artists and musicians, such as Edyta Górniak with "Dotyk". He also did work on film tracks and television. His most popular songs have been Niech mówią że to nie jest miłość (Let them say it's not love), Psalm dla Ciebie (Psalm for You), Most Dwojga Serc (Bridge of Two Hearts), Nie Wstydź się mówić że kochasz (Don't be afraid to say that you love), and Miłość cierpliwa jest, lecz i nie cierpliwa (Love is patient, yet impatient).
Rubik has also performed in North America numerous times since September 2007. In October–November 2010, the composer and conductor went on a tour of 17 concerts in the US and Canada, starting in Trenton, New Jersey, and finishing the tour in Chicago, Illinois.
Main works
His magnum opus to date is the oratorio Tu Es Petrus, Latin for "You Are Peter", which he dedicated to Pope John Paul II. It forms only one part of his "Tryptyk Świętokrzyski" (Holy Cross Triptych) which he composed to texts written by Zbigniew Książek. The other parts are Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota (Holy Cross of Golgotha) and Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy (September Psalter) with Tu Es Petrus forming the second part.
Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota
Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota is an
Świętokrzyska Golgota premiered on April 6, 2004, at the Kielce Cathedral, Poland.
Tu Es Petrus
Tu Es Petrus was written in 2005 as a tribute to and birthday present for
Tu Es Petrus premiered on July 2, 2005, to critical and popular success. Following the popularity of Oratorium Świętokrzyska Golgota, which had opened the year before, and compounded by the intense interest in the life and legacy of Pope John Paul II after his death just a few months earlier, Rubik's new oratorio was immediately hailed as his magnum opus. The following years would see the oratorio performed in cities across Poland, as well as in cities with large Polish populations in Canada and the United States, to popular acclaim.
The oratorio is based in part on the writings of Pope John Paul II, particularly his poetry, specifically in the songs "Zdumienie" (Wonder) and "Strumień" (Stream). Tu Es Petrus is written in three parts, which look, respectively, at the mystery of creation, the mystery of the Cross, and the mystery of love — three areas which the Pope addressed and wrote about repeatedly during his 26-year pontificate. Each part contains four songs and a "litany" and "intermezzo" piece, with the entire oratorio bookended by a prologue and epilogue piece titled "Tu Es Petrus", the only two songs directly addressing the life of John Paul II.
The song "Niech mówią, że to nie jest miłość" (Let them say that it's not love) was frequently played in mainstream Polish radio stations and charted on high positions. Furthermore, a music video featuring Rubik's soloists (and Rubik himself) was filmed and aired on Polish television.
Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy
Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy ("The September Psalter") takes its inspiration from the Book of Psalms and looks at their relevance to us today. The "Septembers" in question are September 11, 2001 and September 1, 1939, when the
Despite the titular subject matter, Oratorium Psałterz Wrześniowy remains a commentary on the triumph of the human spirit over the tyranny of evil. It delves deep into Christian tradition in its texts. The oratorio is divided into four parts — Psalms of Faith, with songs referring to the
Zakochani w Krakowie
In the summer of 2007, Rubik again teamed with Zbigniew Książek to write and conduct an orchestral and choral cantata for the 750th anniversary of Kraków's township, called Zakochani w Krakowie (roughly translated "In love, in Kraków"). It proved to be wildly popular among Cracovians, with multiple encores played at the sole performance that took place in Kraków's town square on June 1, 2007.
Zakochani w Krakowie follows the history of the city of Kraków, from its rebuilding in 1257 by King
Oratorium dla Świata: Habitat
Following the success of Zakochani w Krakowie, Rubik wrote a new oratorio, with the incomprehensibly long title of Oratorium dla Świata, część I: Habitat, moje miejsce na ziemi ("Oratorio for the World, part I: Habitat, my place on earth"). Featuring six new, younger soloists, Habitat opened in December 2007 with a decisive new twist: the addition of a
Habitat is another commentary on human society, emphasizing the need for peace in a troubled world and harmony among peoples. Each song is subtitled with a phrase or word such as "peace", "faith", "neighbor", "tolerance" etc. The oratorio texts were written by Polish poet Roman Kołakowski, Rubik having parted ways with Zbigniew Książek after Zakochani.
Santo Subito: Cantobiografia Jana Pawła II
October 2009 was the premiere of Santo Subito, Rubik's work about the story of John Paul II. Libretto for this work was written by Jacek Cygan. The story starts with the song "Lolek", beginning with Wojtyła's early life in Wadowice. It continues with songs mentioning Karol Wojtyla's love of theater, his priesthood, and papacy. In many of the pieces in Santo Subito, the text contains various facts and interesting information regarding culture and the pope's life.
Santo Subito featured soloists Zofia Nowakowska, Anna Józefina Lubieniecka, Marta Moszczyńska, Grzegorz Wilk, Michał Gasz, and Michał Bogdanowicz. Soloist Ewa Prus replaced Anna Józefina Lubieniecka in May 2010.
Opisanie Świata
November 8, 2011 was when Rubik released Opisanie Świata. The project once again united him with Zbigniew Ksiązek, who wrote the lyrics. Opisanie Świata was, to a degree, similar to "Habitat", in which love was a central theme. This work also was described as a rock opera by Piotr Rubik, as it included drums and guitars, unlike any of his other compositions.
The soloists featured in Opisanie Świata were Zofia Nowakowska, Grzegorz Wilk, Marta Moszczyńska, Michał Gasz, and Ewa Prus.
Popular and critical appeal
Some claim Rubik's work is classical music, although some critics point that he is very active in the world of popular mass media and that his compositions are rather more similar to popular music with sacral elements, and arranged for orchestra. Unlike many composers considered classical, Rubik often gives interviews to popular media and records music videos to his compositions.
His acclaim in popular culture is very warm, indeed — his albums are one of the most frequently bought CDs in Poland. Furthermore, some the individual songs from "Tu Es Petrus", "Psałterz Wrześniowy" and "Habitat" have been re-recorded as pop songs and music videos created for them.
Critics
Some music critics in Poland have suggested that Rubik's work is amateurish and banal, especially after the completion of Zakochani w Krakowie. Stanisław Krawczyński , head of the Academy of Music in Kraków, called it a "scandal"[2] that his Academy had been passed over in favor of Rubik to open the 750th anniversary celebrations. At the same time, fellow composer Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar called him an "amateur,"[2] and Cracovian filmmaker Artur Więcek rhetorically asked why his (taxpayer) money should be spent on Rubik's "pseudo-religious" work for the festival.[citation needed]
Discography
Studio albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||||||||
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POL [3] | |||||||||||||||||||
Świętokrzyska Golgota |
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8 |
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Tu Es Petrus |
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2 |
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Rubikon |
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1 |
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Psałterz Wrześniowy |
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1 |
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Habitat, moje miejsce na ziemi | 1 |
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RubikOne | 6 |
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Santo Subito | 8 |
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Opisanie świata | 8 |
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Pieśni szczęścia |
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39 | |||||||||||||||||
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Compilation albums
Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Sales | Certifications | |||||||||||||||
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POL [3] | |||||||||||||||||||
Tryptyk Świętokrzyski |
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17 |
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"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory. |
Video albums
Title | Video details |
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Zakochani w Krakowie |
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See also
References
- ISBN 978-83-245-1503-5.
- ^ a b ""Piotr Rubik to amator" - Pop - INTERIA.PL - Muzyka". Archived from the original on 2007-12-04. Retrieved 2008-09-28.
- ^ a b "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. 2007-01-21. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Regulamin". Onyx.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Onyx.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Oratorium Tu Es Petrus". Muzyka.interia.ol. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ a b "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Diamentowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Onyx.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Rubikon". Muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Bestsellery.zpav.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Psałterz Wrześniowy - Muzyka w Interia.pl". Muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Oratorium dla Świata I - Muzyka w Interia.pl". Muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Oratorium Dla Swiata - Habitat Cz.1 by Piotr Rubik on iTunes". iTunes. Archived from the original on 2015-09-29. Retrieved 2014-09-29.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Bestsellery.zpav.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - RubikOne - Muzyka w Interia.pl". Muzyka.interia.pl. 2009-05-25. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "RubikOne by Piotr Rubik on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 1968-09-03. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum". Onyx.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Santo Subito - Cantobiografia JP II". Muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Santo Subito - Cantobiografia JP II by Piotr Rubik on Apple Music". iTunes.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Onyx.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - Opisanie świata". Muzyka.interia.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Opisanie Świata by Piotr Rubik on Apple Music". Itunes.apple.com. 2011-11-08. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Złote płyty CD - Archiwum". Bestsellery.zpav.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "PIEŚNI SZCZĘŚCIA - PIOTR RUBIK" (in Polish). Retrieved 1 January 2023.
- ^ "ZPAV :: Bestsellery i wyróżnienia - Wyróżnienia - Platynowe płyty CD - Archiwum". Bestsellery.zpav.pl. Retrieved 2017-04-10.
- ^ "Piotr Rubik - "Zakochani w Krakowie" - Muzyka".