MUZYKA FILMOWA 2

WOJCIECH KILAR

Rating:

Original Review: You must all excuse me while I unapologetically indulge my new-found appreciation for the music of Polish cinema, and especially that of composer Wojciech Kilar. Kilar, for far too long now, has been the unappreciated treasure of the film music world. A composer since the 1950s, he wrote hour upon hour of incredible music for film and television in it homeland (and in other parts of Europe) that probably would have remained undiscovered for decades had he not been hired to write the score for Bram Stoker's Dracula in 1992, which finally brought his music to the western world.

It's something of an irony that, had Kilar's score been thrown out of Dracula (as subsequently happened to him in 1999 on A Midsummer Night's Dream), the majority of film music fans might never even had heard of him. Even now, he remains a somewhat obscure figure to most: an Eastern European who pops up every now and again to score an arthouse movie (like The Portrait of a Lady) or a European import (like The Ninth Gate or Pan Tadeusz) - never mind the fact that he writes three or four film scores a year, in Poland, France and Germany, as well as classical and chamber pieces. He has over 100 scores to his name, and he has worked with some of the best directors in Europe. He very nearly got to score Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy. I think he's a genius.

This album (the second in a series of two CDs) comprises suites and themes from seven films, ranging from the 1969 TV mini-series Przygody Pana Michala, right up to the 1994 film Smierc Jak Kromka Chleba. It's a broad cross-section of music, ranging from choral pieces and highly classical melodies, to action and chase music, love themes, and even comedy. But one thing unites these obscure, unpronounceable titles: the quality of the music is unmistakable, and inarguably the work of one of the greatest composers of our time. For those whose only experience of Kilar's music are the low, grinding, minimalist tones of his more famous works, the music from Przygody Pana Michala may be something of a surprise. A beautiful, undulating theme is the core of the music, thrown around the orchestra in a variety of guises (from big and choral to soft and tender, by way of a quasi-comical march) and for a variety of instruments (soothing strings, pianos and chimes, blundering bassoons and haughty trumpets) before turning into a thunderous action cue underpinned by a riveting snare drum lick.

In complete contrast, the theme from the Polish/British co-production Smuga Cienia (The Shadow Line, 1976, based on the Joseph Conrad novel) is a straight-forward, but utterly gorgeous piano melody that gradually becomes enveloped by a bed of deep, luxurious, romantic strings. This side of Kilar's musical personality is rarely heard by the paying public; how I wish he was given an opportunity to write something like this for a film more people would see. The first and third of the four cues that make up the suite from the 1985 film Kronika Wypadków Milosnych (Chronicle of Love Affairs) continue the style, with slow, melodic string lines that speak of calm and contentment, but the second is a real showstopper, bursting forth into a massive parade-ground march for jaunty flutes, bright brasses and smart snares. And then there's the Horst Buchholz vehicle Zabójstwo W Catamount (Catamount Killing, 1973), which can only be described as Polish film noir, a huge rhapsody for strings, piano and harpsichord, topped by a virtuoso trumpet solo that has a vaguely Spanish sound, which eventually segues into to a segment of dark, mysterious "sneaking around" music featuring some excellent percussion work.

The first track from Kontrakt (1980) is a rare example of Kilar's full-throttle action music; raw, brash, vibrant, and just as exciting as anything Jerry Goldsmith or Basil Poledouris might write - and without the help of electronics too. Listeners who are slightly more familiar with Kilar's work may recognise the snare ostinato from other scores, although the net result is just as effective. The second cue from Kontrakt is the one which most will immediately recognise as being very similar to the music from the prologue Dracula, with lots of surging string work and a deep, ominous passacaglia. The music from Wkrótce Nadejda Bracia (The Brothers Will Come Soon, 1986) features one of Kilar's longest-lined melodies; despite being a minimalist at heart, some of Kilar's more thematic compositions go against the traditions of the style, embracing a much broader and expansive style of writing. Here, oboes feature most prominently, performing a gently, folksy, slightly longing tune, bolstered by a softly muted drumbeat.

Rounding out the album is a 10-minute suite from Smierc Jak Kromka Chleba (Death as a Slice of Bread), a slightly more dissonant and unconventional piece that highlights yet another side of Kilar's musical personality. He rarely writes pure dissonance, but the first track here consists almost solely of a high violin pedal, accompanied by harsh slaps and stings from the lower reaches of the string section, followed by another five minutes of low-end murmuring and stark piano chords, before concluding with a deep, dark, morose string elegy that brings the album to a strangely appropriate close.

Muzyka Filmowa 2 is rare nowadays; I obtained mine through CD Now, and although it wasn't especially expensive, they apparently had to order it from a specialist supplier in Poland. However, I would urge anyone who bears any kind of affinity for Kilar's music to seek out this CD, as well as Muzyka Filmowa 1, and the Milan compilation "From Warsaw to Hollywood". Wojciech Kilar has written so much exquisite music for films that nobody outside Poland has ever seen, and it would be a genuine tragedy if this great composer's legacy amongst the film music community were for the mere handful of North American films that were graced by his presence.

Track Listing: Running Time: 57 minutes 35 seconds

Sound-Pol/Baierle Records SPBCD-044 (1994)

Music composed by Wojciech Kilar. Performed by Wielka Orkiestra Symfoniczna Polskiego Radia I Telewizji w Katowicach. Conducted by Konrad Bryzek, Antoni Wit and Jacek Kaspzsyk. Mastered by Janusz Nowak. Album produced by Wojciech Kilar.

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