So much attention is focused on Hollywood's film music that we can easily
forget the work of composers elsewhere. This is particularly true of the
Eastern Bloc countries as they used to be known. Cultural and political barriers
exacerbated the ignorance of these films and music although they travelled
more freely from the early 1970s onwards and were increasingly seen in art-house
cinemas and found their metièr on Channel 4 and BBC2.
As for Wajda's films I can in fairness recall seeing his grim war-time epics
such as Kanal and Ashes and Diamonds in afternoon matinees
on BBC during the 1960s. These were and remain granitically dark impressive
films. They are lodged deeply in my consciousness. I was not greatly aware
of the music and am not all clear as to who the composer(s) was although
I seem to remember the name of the conductor Jan Krenz. I hope one day to
hear the music for this series in a CD reissue and to review it here. Can
anyone advise me of a source and catalogue numbers?
Man of Iron (1981 - 9 tracks - 26:58). The first two tracks are affecting
string serenades on a single very strong theme. They occasionally veer towards
Mantovani schmaltz but nothing seriously worrying. Track 3 is a horror with
the theme taken by a Hammond organ and with a dreadfully seventies pop beat
in the background. The fourth and fifth tracks are more restrained: like
some grand pavane for strings. Tracks 6 and 7 have space age synthesised
warblings mixed with 1970s USA TV music. All very dated and feeble now. The
Funeral Music [8] returns to the strings for a sombrely meandering
November-morning essay. The last track for the film is a starkly guitar
accompanied song. It sounds like a bitterly spat-out folk-song - all hoarsely
shouted.
Man of Marble (1977 - 8 tracks - 25:00). If the music for Man of
Iron suffers from a dated trendiness then Man of Marble has it
in spades. Electric guitars, processed choral singing, tinkling percussion
and bongos dominate tracks 10-14. Track 15 (In the Shipyard) deploys a string
orchestra in a sleepy evocative essay but even then the composer cannot resist
a few burbles from the Hammond Organ and a 'get-on-down' guitar contribution.
The Katowice Ironworks track sounds like a cross between Procul Harum, the
Swingle Singers and the music for British Television's Countdown. The final
track The Striptease has a breathy processed female breathing as an ostinato
and over it a jazzy harmonica contribution. This is commercially appalling
stuff.
The Birchwood (1970 - 3 tracks - 7:35) is a uplifting contrast to
Man of Marble. A scorching violin solo (a sort of Lark Descending)
against close-up strings and woodwind sings affectingly. A harpsichord adds
to the atmosphere of this exotic aubade. This music might have come from
some dream of Sheherazade. I am impressed with the quality of sound extracted
by Olympia. The music resonates with that of Alan Hovhaness and Korzynski's
countryman Szymanowski.
Hunting Flies (1969 - 7 tracks - 17:48) is dated. Imagine a cross
between Swingle Singers cool, bossa nova, The Shadow of Your Smile, Claude
Lelouch's Un Homme et Une Femme and you have the picture. Track 22 is dated
pop. Track 23 is like the chase music from a Benny Hill TV show with an
insufferable then hilarious Hammond organ. Track 24 again deploys a prominent
and prominently awful Hammond. A Country Landscape [25] and The Wonderful
House [26] takes us back to the attractive, palely Eastern and natural music
of The Birchwood. The last track Trying to Catch a Fly is a deliberately
reversed orchestral track (pity I cannot find a way of re-reversing it) which
in its twitterings and swoopings ends the disc in the surreal.
Olympia's valiant series merits closest attention. There is great variety
on this disc. Korzynski can clearly write music of striking mood magic as
well as music of appalling date-stamped trendiness. There is too little of
the former here. This is a well-filled disc which includes some extremely
fine concert music (tracks 1, 2, 18-20, 25) as well as much that does not
bear a second listen. It would be a great pity for you to miss the music
on the listed tracks. It is amongst the most original and attractive I have
heard in a long time.
The disc was issued as long ago as 1993 and received little critical attention
at the time. I hope that you will try to track it down and explore its strengths
as well as discovering some of its awesomely awful weaknesses. The notes
are typically (for Olympia) excellent.
The low star rating reflects the majority of the tracks. The other tracks
listed above merit at least four stars.
Reviewer
Robert Barnett
OST orchestras conducted by
composer 
