“Jan Krzywicki writes music that is, by turns, fierce and passionate, lyrical and brooding. His chamber music in particular is strikingly colorful and tightly woven in ways that are at once novel and familiar. In pieces like Catching Light a fascinating succession of glittery and mercurial textures belies a tightly unfolding form and a rhetoric that is both traditional and original. His music bespeaks the heart of a true Romantic.”
—American Academy of Arts and Letters Award in Music statement
Quartet premiere review
“… the slow movement quite ravishingly beautiful, and, after the very effective Toccata third movement, the predominantly slow final Fantasia brings the work to a no less gripping and eloquent conclusion.”
—Bernard Jacobson “Seen and Heard International” (5/5/17)
Alchemy recording (Albany Records, Troy 1317) review
“…chamber music from the supremely talented Philadelphia based composer Jan Krzywicki… showcases Krzywicki’s wonderful feel for timbral values, both structurally and dramatically…. makes every note count. His moods can range from darkly somber to exuberant, with an expressivity that is often operatic in impact… It is tempting to attribute a kind of conventional beauty to this highly compelling and moving work [In Evening’s Shadow] but that would falsely imply that there is anything ordinary about the music of Jan Krzywicki. Nothing could be further from the truth.”
—Peter Burwasser, Fanfare magazine
“… captures the unique and coherent voice of this Philadelphia composer at his best… expressive and intuitive writing for woodwinds, the wall of sounds he pulls out of the piano, and an impressive blend of soprano voice, string trio and guitar. Krzywicki’s highly individual style and musical language craft beautiful musical narratives out of mostly dissonant material that have a strong impact on the surface and leave you contemplating their implications.”
—David Pearson, icareifyoulisten.com (12/28/2011)
Lute Music performance
“…Though climaxes were ecstatic, the manner of word projection was far from theatrical—and all the more effective, leaving meaning in the heart of the beholder rather than in the mind of the composer. It’s among Krzywicki’s best, and was the highlight of the concert.”
—David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer (2/28/2012)
“Krzywicki creates a more elaborate texture than the other composers on the program, and the increased complexity magnified the excitement and emotional impact…”
—Tom Purdom, Broad Street Review (2/29/2012)
Music of Jan Krzywicki, Albany Records (Troy 337)
“All works (including the elegant Starscape) are models of intense but refined expression…. This is strong music, beautifully performed by all concerned. I look forward to hearing more of Krzywicki’s work.”
—Robert Carl, Fanfare magazine