Eyes of the Air for soprano and piano (1957

{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Spotkanie /fragment/}

Elżbieta Towarnicka - soprano, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków, cond. Wojciech Czepiela, Kraków 1997

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Bez /fragment/}

Elżbieta Towarnicka - soprano, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków, cond. Wojciech Czepiela, Kraków 1997

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Chwila /fragment/}

Elżbieta Towarnicka - soprano, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków, cond. Wojciech Czepiela, Kraków 1997

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Ścieżka /fragment/}

Elżbieta Towarnicka - soprano, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków, cond. Wojciech Czepiela, Kraków 1997

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and orchestra. Wieczór /fragment/ }

Elżbieta Towarnicka - soprano, Radio Symphony Orchestra in Kraków, cond. Wojciech Czepiela, Kraków 1997

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and piano. Spotkanie /fragment/ }

Jane Manning - soprano, Aki Takahashi - piano, Warsaw 1993

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and piano. Bez /fragment/}

Jane Manning - soprano, Aki Takahashi - piano, Warsaw 1993

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and piano. Chwila /fragment/}

Jane Manning - soprano, Aki Takahashi - piano, Warsaw 1993

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and piano. Ścieżka /fragment/}

Jane Manning - soprano, Aki Takahashi - piano, Warsaw 1993

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{slider=Oczy powietrza [Eyes of the Air], song cycle for soprano and piano. Wieczór /fragment/}

Jane Manning - soprano, Aki Takahashi - piano, Warsaw 1993

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Eyes of the Air for soprano and piano

Eyes of the Air for soprano and piano

Eyes of the Air for soprano and piano

The work was premiered in November 1959 in Katowice. Similarly to Heart of the Night, it has two versions – in 1960 the composer arranged it for orchestra. The first performance of Eyes of the Air in its new sound format took place in 1964 during the 8th “Warsaw Autumn”.

The cycle, written to Julian Przyboś’s poems from the collection Rzut pionowy has a lot in common with the Heart of the Night cycle. In stylistic and technical terms, it is Serocki’s another, very successful attempt at pointillism and dodecaphony. It is very much unorthodox, as here, too, the composer employs a different series for each song. When it comes to expression,  Eyes of the Air  is much more austere than the cycle written to Gałczyński’s words. This is related to the poetic text used by the composer – pared-down and metaphorical. The poetry written by Przyboś – leading exponent of the so-called Kraków avant-garde – is full of internal rhymes and assonances, and Serocki’s music perfectly conveys its phonic qualities. What is also interesting is the way in which the composer follows the poetic metaphors: for instance, by associating the idea of space with a gradually built vertical sound structure and the idea of horizon – with a linear structure.

As in Heart of the Night, each part of the piece includes a dedication. Halina and Zbigniew Turski are the dedicatees of the first song – Meeting – characterised by a simple, distinctive melody. It is contrasted with part two, dedicated to Grażyna [Bacewicz] and Andrzej Biernacki, which is an expressive setting of the poem Lilac. The vocal line is much more varied here and does not shy away from large interval jumps. The tempo and expression markings change with each verse and at the end comes, caterellando, poco rubato  and quasi sussurrato, “buzzed" and “whispered”, the line: "Wafting perfumed breath of windblown springtime: lilac". Part three, A Passing Moment, is dedicated to Ela and Stanisław Wisłocki. The slow tempo and simplicity of the melodic line help the listeners capture the magic of the moment, when “I lie amid long grass bespattered with butter-cups” and “like mayflies over the pond quivering swarm the bright heat sparks". The fourth song – The Path – is dedicated to Danuta and Witold Lutosławski, and the last – Evening – to Joanna and Witold Rowicki. Both constitute an expressive supplement to the whole.

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• Tadeusz A. Zieliński, O twórczości Kazimierza Serockiego [On Kazimierz Serocki’s Oeuvre], Kraków 1985.
• Barbara Cisowska, “Kazimierz Serocki — Oczy powietrza” [“Kazimierz Serocki – Eyes of the Air”], [in:] Pieśń z orkiestrą lub zespołem kameralnym 1876–1976 [Songs with Orchestras or Chamber Ensemble 1876–1976], Kraków 1977.

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