Leszek Możdżer – Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza (2019)

Leszek Możdżer

Leszek Możdżer - piano
and others

Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza

OUTSIDE MUSIC 010





By Adam Baruch

This is the soundtrack of the Polish movie "Ikar. Legenda Mietka Kosza" created by Polish Jazz pianist/composer Leszek Możdżer. It is constructed of twenty eight short excerpts, most of which were composed by Możdżer, but also including some Classical Music pieces, a theme by Krzysztof Komeda, couple of compositions by Mieczysław Kosz, the protagonist of the movie and a couple of popular Polish Pop songs. The music is performed by Mozdzer and a few additional players as well as the Orkiestra Sinfonia Varsovia. There are also several dialogue excerpts performed by the actors taking part in the movie.

The movie tells the life story of Mieczysław Kosz, Polish Jazz pianist/composer who was perhaps the most enigmatic figure ever on the local scene. Blind at twelve and dead at twenty nine Kosz left a brilliant but extremely limited recorded legacy and his tragic death has been a source of speculation, with suspected suicide.

I have not seen the movie yet, and therefore can't say anything about the soundtrack's compatibility with the actual visual contents, but being familiar with the story line and the book on which the movie is based, the music seems to belong to another universe entirely. Whereas tragedy, depression and deep sadness were the prime characteristics of life that Kosz experienced, the music sounds like a soundtrack to a romantic movie, with green pastures and herds of white sheep in the background.

The most astounding aspect of this music is that is has absolutely nothing to do with Jazz (with just a few debatable exceptions), which was after all the center of the artistic achievement Kosz managed to accomplish and the musical environment he strived to develop. Why on earth a soundtrack of a movie about Kosz is not primarily based on his compositions and played by a Jazz combo featuring a pianist who plays Jazz? For those in the dark I can only recommend to listen to the RGG album "Unfinished Story – Remembering Kosz", which is an example of what could have happened.

The sugary string arrangements, the endless piano arpeggios and the schmaltzy melodies are in my opinion hardly compatible with the memory of Kosz, who should be better remembered for what he really was – a bright comet on the Polish Jazz firmament, a man with a magic touch and a tormented spirit, a brief visitor who left us a part of his soul before he moved on. Blessed be his memory.