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Review of Requiem for my Friend (Zbigniew Preisner)
FILMTRACKS RECOMMENDS:
Buy it... if you succumb to the power of dark, mystical, and
thematically gripping choral music in even its most solemn and
deliberate forms.
Avoid it... if you expect either of the two concerts on the album to convey the same power that they undoubtedly do when heard in person on location.
FILMTRACKS EDITORIAL REVIEW:
Requiem for My Friend: (Zbigniew Preisner) In the
mid-1990's, Polish composer Zbigniew Preisner was working on a
collaboration with his close associate, director Krzysztof Kieslowski,
and screenwriter Krzysztof Piesiewicz that would have produced the kind
of massive operatic concert at the Acropolis in Athens, Greece that
Vangelis and others had strived to create through the years. Their
collaboration was quite fruitful, yielding the films and scores for the
Colours Trilogy (Blue, White, and Red) as well as
Dekalog and The Double Life of Veronique. Preisner's other
notable film scores of the previous ten years had included the highly
acclaimed At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Secret
Garden. His work on this new massive concert piece was only halfway
completed when Kieslowski passed away in 1996, changing the focus of
work from strictly the operatic concert to one that combined that
material with a requiem written in the memory of Kieslowski. Attaching
the 30-minute "Requiem" to the original concert material titled "Life,"
the combined pieces would subsequently be performed around Europe. By
1999, a performance of the material was recorded for international
distribution on album, and while the two halves definitely speak towards
different goals, they offer a treat to Preisner collectors and those who
enjoy the phenomenal sound quality that well-recorded live performance
albums can often yield. The first half of the album, the "Requiem,"
exists in nine movements and was composed for a smaller ensemble of a
soprano, organ, two countertenors, tenor, bass, string quintet and
percussion. It was recorded in Warsaw Cathedral and the Emaus Church in
Cracow, and the effect of the large recording facility on the acoustics
is stunning. Consisting of some weighty choral performances in Latin and
Polish, the "Requiem" movements are extremely protracted and restrained.
Very lengthy sequences of near silence and the solemn solo organ can be
difficult to enjoy outside of a live performance, and its success on
album relies upon the gorgeously recorded operatic voices. When they are
silent, "Requiem" is surprisingly lacking in sustained spirit.
The emotional impact of "Requiem," interestingly, isn't as pronounced as that of the "Life" performances later on the album. Some of the gothic and epic power of "Requiem" would have been welcomed in "Life," though it does stand well enough on its own to easily overshadow its preceding sadness. The second half of the album is slightly longer; it is also in nine movements and was composed for soprano, voice, countertenor, recorder, alto saxophone, piano, as well as a sixty-piece orchestra and forty-person choir. Although it was partly recorded in a studio instead of on location, its sound quality is equally impressive (especially in the voices and sax). The recording features the Polish soprano Elzbieta Towarnicka, whose singing is a trademark of many of Preisner's scores for the films by Krzysztof Kieslowski listed above. Both illuminating and enjoyable, "Life" is a breath of exactly that after "Requiem," tackling some basic subjects of life with a sense of extreme elegance not often heard in even Preisner's own scores, let alone many others. He continues weaving his multilayered vocals in and out of this second section as well, and Towarnicka continues to provide sharp performances. The addition of the orchestral players and chorus makes for the perfect combination on this album, heard best in the suite titled "Beginning" that occupies tracks ten through twelve. Eerie saxophone solos and singular female vocals are accompanied by swelling performances by the full orchestra, providing for gripping romantic sounds. The piece "Love" in particular is the all-too-short highlight of the entire production. Between that cue and the massive title theme presented in the latter half of "Meeting" (truly a full ensemble piece), there's a touch of Ennio Morricone in this music, especially in the handling of the chorus and solo voices. Although the requiem was the primary performance of this dedicational album, the following concert section is the highlight. The "Life" concert arrangement has several moments of grand choral and orchestral style, and these final thirty-seven minutes will most likely satisfy any enthusiast of dark, mystical, and thematically gripping choral music. The release by Erato Records, a division of Warner and Atlantic Records, is beautifully produced, with notes about Preisner and the music, as well as lyrics to the vocal performances.
TRACK LISTINGS:
Total Time: 68:22
NOTES & QUOTES:
The insert includes notes from Zbigniew Preisner about the concerts. An excerpt
is included below:
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