He was born on the 19th of January 1949 in Szczecin. From 1967 to 1972, he studied composition under Tadeusz Paciorkiewicz at the Higher State School of Music in Warsaw, where in 1972 he obtained his diploma with distinction for the piece Muzyka symfoniczna (Symphonic Music; 1972), which was performed two years later by the Warsaw Philharmonic under the direction of Wojciech Rajski.
Bagiński debuted in 1968 with Tryptyk (Triptych), which was written for clarinet and piano. He debuted internationally in 1974 at Nordiske Musikdage with the piano composition Miscellanea (1972). His pieces have been performed at many concerts and festivals, amongst others at the World Music Days in Zurich, the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Inventionen in Berlin, the Musik-Biennale in Berlin, Polish Realities in Glasgow, New Music Days in Bucharest, the Leningrad Musical Spring, the International Ukrainian Music Festival in Kiev and at numerous concerts in Europe, USA and Canada. His compositions are often performed at the Warsaw Autumn festival, the Warsaw Musical Meetings and at the Musica Polonica Nova Festival in Wrocław.
Bagiński has been given many awards at composers’ competitions. He has received, amongst others, a distinction at the 1973 Young Ones’ Competition of the Association of Polish Composers for Wyprawy na drugą stronę for flute, piano and tom-tom (Journeys to the Other Side; 1973), the 2nd award at the 1992 International Composers’ Competition in Kiev for Threnody for symphonic orchestra and mixed choir (1992), the 1st award at the 1995 competition organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Association of Polish Composers for Mała symfonia elegijna (Small Elegiac Symphony; 1995). He is also the author of the trumpet call of the Royal Castle in Warsaw which has been performed on a daily basis since 1995.
Since 1974 Zbigniew Bagiński has been involved with the Warsaw Music Academy (now The Fryderyk Chopin University of Music), where he has been leading the class of composition since 1989. In the years 1987–89 he had been acting as Vice-Dean of the Department of Composition, Conducting and Theory of Music and in the years 2004-2012 – as head of the Faculty of Composition of the university. In 1996 he received the title of associate professor and in 2004 - the title of full professor of musical arts. Since 1981 he has been lecturing on the history and theory of music at the Department of Directing of the Warsaw Theatre Academy. Additionally in the years 1973-74 he collaborated with the Institute of Musicology of the Catholic University in Lublin.
From 1989 to 1999 he acted as general secretary of the Association of Polish Composers. In the years 20010-2011 he had been the chairman of the Warsaw Branch of the Association of Polish Composers.
In 1986 Zbigniew Bagiński was distinguished with the Silver Cross of Merit. In 2006 he was given the annual Award of the Association of Polish Composers.
Important compositions:
- Tryptyk (Triptych; 1968) for clarinet and piano
- Rubajaty Omara Chajjama (The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyamna; 1971) for baritone and instrumental ensemble
- Miscellanea (1972) for piano
- Muzyka symfoniczna (Symphonic Music; 1972)
- Wyprawy na drugą stronę (Journeys to the Other Side; 1973) for flute, piano and tom-tom
- Acho (1974) for organ
- Refrain (1975) for two pianos
- Concerto 26 (1978) for chamber orchestra
- Trio na skrzypce, klarnet i wiolonczelę (Trio for Violin, Clarinet and Cello; 1980)
- Triad (1981) for symphonic orchestra
- Hawaiian Songs (1981) for 4 percussionists
- Ricercar (1982) for 2 pianos
- Dwa utwory z łącznikiem (Two Pieces with a Connector; 1983) for alto flute, clarinet, harpsichord and string quartet
- Trio z kodą. Hommage à Brahms (Trio with a Coda. Hommage à Brahms; 1983) for violin, cello and piano
- Menażeria czyli wybryk słonia (Menagerie or an Elephant’s Prank; 1983) a musical for children with a libretto by composer Stanisław Ignacy Witkiewicz
- Solo, Duo, Trio (1984) for oboe, clarinet and bassoon
- Sinfonia notturna (1984)
- Koncert na klawesyn i orkiestrę (Concerto for Harpsichord and Orchestra; 1985)
- Versus (1985) to an untitled text by Zbigniew Herbert, for baritone and chamber ensemble
- Oh, Sweet Baroque! (1985), a suite for string orchestra
- Solo III (1985) for double bass solo
- II Kwartet smyczkowy (2nd String Quartet; 1986)
- Credo (1986) for 7 performers
- Wariant podwójny (Double Variant 1987) for organ and percussion
- Kanony, scherza, epigramaty... (Canons, Scherzos, Epigrams…; 1987) for 13 (12) performers
- G.P.P. For 7 (1987) for flute, violin, percussion and harpsichord
- Symfonia w siedmiu odsłonach (Symphony in Seven Parts; 1988)
- Inventores Rerum (1988) for mixed choir a cappella
- A. D. 1988 (1988) for piano
- Nokturn-Kołysanka (Nocturne-Lullaby; 1989) for 12 musicians
- Kwartet fortepianowy (Piano Quartet; 1990)
- Blanc et noir (1990) for guitar
- 3. Kwartet smyczkowy (3rd String Quartet; 1991)
- Solo IV (1991) for cello
- Choreae vulgares, rzecz na głosy męskie (i nie tylko) (Choreae vulgares, a Piece (Not Only) for Male Voices; 1992) to fragments of Witold Gombrowicz’s Trans-Atlantyk
- Threnody (1992) for symphonic orchestra and mixed choir
- Msza (Mass; 1993) for mixed choir a capella
- Mała symfonia elegijna (Small Elegiac Symphony; 1995)
- Koncert fortepianowy (Piano Concerto; 1995)
- Koncert na wiolonczelę i orkiestrę smyczkową (Concerto for Cello and String Orchestra; 1995)
- The trumpet call of the Royal Castle in Warsaw (1995)
- Ogród Armidy (Armida’s Garden; 1996) for clarinet, horn and string quartet
- Cake-Walk Rondo (1996) for piano four hands
- Flute Quintet (1998)
- Dwa tańce (Two Dances; 1998) for string orchestra
- Liber belli et pacis (1999), a cantata for baritone, mixed choir and symphonic orchestra
- A Few Pictures (2001) for orchestra
- Duety wiolonczelowe (Cello Duos; 2001)
- Solo V for clarinet solo (2001)
- Trzy utwory (Three Pieces; 2002) for string orchestra
- Koncert skrzypcowy (Violin Concerto; 2002)
- Piccolo quartetto (2003) for piccolo, clarinet, violin and cello
- Kwintet fortepianowy. Dziewiętnaście utworów (Piano Quintet. Nineteen Pieces; 2005)
- Danza generale (2005) for clarinet, violin and piano
- Cyrkulacje (Circulations; 2006) for flute, piano, percussion and double bass
- Tema (senza variazioni?) (2006)
- Piosnki dla moich przyjaciół [wersja I] (Songs for My Friends [version 1]; 2007) for mezzo-soprano, clarinet, piano and string quartet
- Piosnki dla moich przyjaciół [wersja II] (Song for My Friends [version 2]; 2007) for mezzo-soprano and piano
- Accor - dance [wersja I] (Accor – Dance [version 1]; 2008) for soprano saxophone and accordion
- Accor - dance [wersja II] (Accor – Dance [version 2]; 2008) for clarinet and accordion
- Dwa preludia (Two Preludes; 2009) for piano
- Double Flutter (2010) for flute and double bass
- Siedem tchnień (Seven Breaths; 2011) for two flutes
- IV Symfonia (4th Symphony; 2012)
- IV Kwartet smyczkowy (4th String Quartet; 2013)
- Uwertura (Overture; 2014) for symphony orchestra
- V Kwartet smyczkowy (5th String Quartet; 2015)
- Solo VI (6th Solo; 2015) for flute
Author: Małgorzata Kosińska, Polish Music Information Centre, Association of Polish Composers, October 2002, updated: June 2016, AG.
Translated by: Marek Kępa