Musical conversation of guitarists about a film
On the cover of ‘Celuloid’ we can see a photograph from a classic (and, actually, the only decent) Polish western – ‘The Law and the Fist’ by Jerzy Hoffman and Edward Skórzewski (1964). On the black-and-white photograph, Gustaw Holoubek covers his face with one hand as if he were afraid of something, although we know that he will fight until the end. Apart from excellent roles, the film was made famous also by the song ‘Nim wstanie dzień’ [Before the Day Begins] composed by Krzysztof Komeda and sung in a silken voice by Edmund Fetting. The album includes an instrumental arrangement of this song, which is equally nostalgic yet completely different. But this is how things were planned – Marek Napiórkowski and Artur Lesicki did not intend to propose cover versions, but to use a film theme for its further development in the form of free variations. They are played as if musicians were talking to each other. It is a cultural conversation, although it becomes vivid and hot at some moments.
Themes from Wajda, Polański, Gruza
‘Celuloid’ contains 9 pieces, mainly themes from Polish classic films. Apart from the above-mentioned tune from 'The Law and the Fist’, we can also listen to most characteristic themes from TV series: ‘The Doll’ by Ryszard Ber (music by Andrzej Kurylewicz), ‘House War’ by Jerzy Gruza (music by Jerzy Duduś Matuszkiewicz) and films: ‘Man of Iron’ by Andrzej Wajda (music by Andrzej Korzyński), ‘Death and the Maiden’ by Roman Polański (music by Wojciech Kilar) or ‘A Farewell To Maria’ by Filip Zylber (music by Tomasz Stańko). This list is supplemented by three pieces composed by guitarists – the excellent title theme ‘Celuloid’ by Marek Napiórkowski (also in the version ‘Celuloid – Reprise’) and the dynamic ‘Crazy Script’ by Artur Lesicki.
Date of release: the 4th of September
The recording sessions, during which mainly acoustic guitars, but also electric guitars and charango (a ten-string instrument similar to a mandolin) were used, took place in the studio in Lubrza in June and July last year. Released by the Wroclaw label V-Records, 'Celuloid’ appeared in music shops on the 4th of September. This music is worth listening to – it can conquer not only the hearts of cinema fans.
