Grażyna Auguścik - vocals
Jan Smoczyński Trio
Janusz Prusinowski Trio
Atom String Quartet
Inspired By Lutosławski
FOR TUNE 0044
By Adam Baruch
This extraordinary album is a superb example of intelligent contemporary music, which is completely unlimited by the imaginary bounds set up by genres and other labeling concepts. Polish vocalist Grażyna Auguścik embarked on this ambitious project with the help of some of the most important musicians on the Polish scene, who cover a wide scope of stylistic spheres including Classical Music, Folklore and Jazz, all of which have been already visited by her during her prolific career.
The music combines Polish Folk
songs and the work of the esteemed Polish modern Classical composer Witold
Lutosławski, which were based on or inspired by Polish Folklore. Lutosławski,
like all the composers living and working behind the Iron Curtain, was forced
(directly or indirectly) by the regimes ruling Eastern
Europe at the time, to include folkloristic motives in his
compositions, often completely artificially and against all aesthetic or
compositional reasoning. The refusal to do so would effectively mean an
artistic ban by the authorities and in extreme cases political persecution. The
compositions included here were created by Lutoslawski in the 1950s, the most
oppressive period in the Socialist era, and for many years thereafter were
considered as his less important and definitely less appreciated works.
However, in retrospect the composer's genius obviously overcame the obstacles
and this music turns out to be a completely relevant component of his grand legacy.
Auguścik combined forces with
the brilliant keyboardist/composer/arranger Jan Smoczyński, who was
entrusted with the enormous task of arranging all the music, both the Classical
and Folklore pieces, and than participate in the recording, as well as being
the sound engineer, since the recording took place in his now legendary Studio
Tokarnia, with spectacular sonic results, as usual in his case. In many
respects this album is as much a credit to Auguścik as it is to Jan Smoczyński.
The research of the Polish Folklore as well as the leadership of the ensemble
performing the folk songs was left in the hands of violinist Janusz
Prusinowski.
Overall twelve musicians take
part in the entire project in addition to Auguścik, who sings the lead vocals:
the Jan Smoczyński Trio (with bassist Wojciech Pulcyn, drummer Tomasz Waldowski
and vocalist Sylwia Smoczyńska), the Janusz Prusinowski Trio (with clarinetist
Michał Żak, percussionist Piotr Piszczatowski and bassist Piotr Zgorzelski) and
Poland's most celebrated string quartet, the Atom String Quartet (violinists
Dawid Lubowicz and Mateusz Smoczyński, violist Michał Zaborski and cellist
Krzysztof Lenczowski).
The album comprises of twelve
pieces (and a radio edit bonus), ranging from "pure" folklore songs,
which were the original songs upon which Lutoslawski based his compositions, to
more arranged pieces of folk songs and Lutosławski's pieces performed by the
ensemble and finally to a quite Jazzy songs based on folkloristic motifs. In
spite of the variety and wealth of the musical material the album creates a
coherent and aesthetically pleasing outcome, which is a music connoisseur's wet
dream. The beautiful arrangements, passionate performance and depth of respect
for the Polish musical tradition and legacy are all combined herein with truly
spectacular results.
Auguścik takes a step back from
the limelight on this album, preferring to play the role of an integrator
rather than the leading person. She sings beautifully, as always, but with less
spectacular attitude, almost leaving out completely her Jazzy improvisations
and vocalese acrobatics, which are her trademarks. This is a very courageous
artistic decision, for which she deserves a lot of respect.
There is no doubt that this is
definitely one of the most important and beautiful albums released in Poland in
2014, a
"complete" multi-layered, multi-faced effort involving the talents of
many wonderful musicians and setting a golden standard for future projects,
which will be very difficult to match end even more so to rise above. Polish
music scene and Polish Culture is glorified by this project, which should make
all Poles proud. Being realistic, however, it will probably reach only e very
limited scope of listeners, which of course is tragic. My deepest thanks to
everybody involved in this project for the pleasure it causes to this humble
listener.
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