The latest album by Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf, professor at the Academy of Music, Altotronica (CRC 4173), is not merely a collection of works—it is an artistic manifesto, a sound laboratory, and a bold attempt to redefine the relationship between the acoustic and the electronic. The album, featuring works by Polish composers for viola and electronics, has been released by Centaur Records, a U.S.-based label.

"Alchemy of four strings and El-phonia — I invite you on a journey to a place where past and future intertwine in sound, and where the soul of an instrument with centuries of history is transformed through contact with the digital systems of our time. This confirms that in an era of omnipresent technology, the most fascinating phenomena arise at the intersection of worlds that seem distant from one another. The heart of this project is the viola — an instrument with a unique yet still underestimated potential. Its timbre, positioned between the virtuosity of the violin and the depth of the cello, has for centuries been associated with melancholy, warmth, and the human voice. The creators of this album, however, approach it not as a relic, but as an inexhaustible source of sonic material," emphasizes the renowned violist.

The album is dedicated to Władysław “Gudonis” Komendarek.

By performing works by Piotr Grella-Możejko, Jacaszek, Piotr Jędrzejczyk, Damian Marhulets, Dariusz Mazurowski, Zuzanna Ossowska, Przemysław Rudz, Rafał Ryterski, Krzysztof Wołek, Aleksandra Zemla, Szymon Wieczorek, and Igor Torbicki, he reveals the full spectrum of the viola’s possibilities: from singing, vibrating cantabile to rough, percussive con legno strikes on the strings in scordatura and on the resonant body.

He also employs techniques such as tapping, Bartók pizzicato, string snapping, bow-hair pressing, dirty glissando, slow-motion bow, crazy sul ponticello scratchiness, shutter effects, noisy shifts, electric slide, scratch tones, preparation, arpeggios, tremolos, and ethereal, barely audible harmonics. Algorithms process the viola’s sound in real time, looping, multiplying, and expanding it into space, creating spectral doubles and digital shadows.

Altotronica is dominated by avant-garde sonoristic soundscapes. Lyrical writing appears essentially only in Przemysław Rudz’s Evening Misty Meadow and in Damian Marhulets’ Chromodynamics and Stochastic 303 Acid. Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf’s goal was to search for a new sonic quality—a fusion of acoustic and electronic layers.

Album release date: 21 November 2025.

Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC

Additional information: https://www.tymendorf.com/#cds 

1 Dariusz Mazurowski – Waveless Storm for viola and tape [2024]
2 Damian Marhulets – Monopole for viola and electronics [2023] 
3 Damian Marhulets – Chromodynamics for viola and electronics [2023] 
4 Damian Marhulets – Stochastic 303 Acid for viola and electronics [2023] 
5 Krzysztof Wolek – Shadowings for viola and live electronics [2019] 
6 Rafal Ryterski – Viola d`amore [2023] 
7 Agata Zemla – Samotnia for viola and fixed media [2024] 
8 Szymon Wieczorek, Igor Torbicki  – fake news for viola and many computers [2025]
9 Piotr Jedrzejczyk – AltoReel for viola and electronics [2025] 
10 Piotr Grella-Mozejko – Frokertof per viola solo e nastro virtuale [2025] 
11 Jacaszek – Sniardwy [2025] 
12 Przemyslaw Rudz – Evening on the Misty Meadow for viola and synthesizers [2025] 
13 Zuzanna Ossowska – ALTOTRONICA [2025] 

Wyk.: Krzysztof Komendarek-Tymendorf (altówka); wszyscy kompozytorzy stworzyli i nagrali partie elektroniczne do swoich utworów.

* Centaur Records 2025 (CRC 4173)