Emerge is the album debut by Tomasz Jakub Opałka who is considered one of the most distinctive composers of his generation and known mostly for his orchestral works and his exquisite way to explore emotions and colours. This new release presents four compositions for large instrumental ensembles: Collisions of the Matter, Emerge, D.N.A. and Quadra, each telling its unique story and each being a milestone in Opałka’s own creative development. Opałka differs from his contemporaries in the energy of his music. Its lively flow captivates listeners’ attention from the start.

Born in 1983, Tomasz Jakub Opałka is one of the few young composers who have already gained vast experience in orchestral writing. His music is distinguished by energy, sensitivity to sound, sophisticated orchestration and harmonic innovations. Opałka combines a plethora of influences and inspirations in his works, dissociating himself both from conceptualism and postmodernism. He resolutely opposes the use of aprioristic concepts of the musical work, not rooted in the essence and content of the music itself. His bold explorations exceed the boundaries of theoretical trends and are firmly rooted in creative intuition combined with well thought-out technique. The composer devotes an assiduous attention to structure, musical form and narrative development.

‘Opałka is a master of colour. He never makes conventional use of the traditional orchestra. He combines instruments in original ways, creating new soundscapes’ – Małgorzata Gąsiorowska

Live recordings