World-renowned artists, Professors Paweł Gusnar and Krzysztof Herdzin, will perform at the Silesian Philharmonic on April 22, 2025, at 7:00 PM as part of the “Polish Music Scene" program. The duo will present music by the legendary Krzysztof Komeda-Trzciński, arranged for saxophone and piano by the performers themselves.
Jazz and film—this is where Komeda’s talent shone brightest. His compositions captivated in his own performances—both concert and film—and in the following decades became the cornerstone of Polish jazz. It’s important to consider their context: film music was the foundation of Komeda’s characteristic narrative style. His lullabies—from Two Men and a Wardrobe and Rosemary’s Baby—trace his journey from Polański’s early student film to a Hollywood blockbuster.
Particularly intriguing are pieces connected with lyrics—either originally written as songs (Nim wstanie dzień / Before the Day Breaks) or with lyrics added later (Bez jutra nie da się żyć / You Can’t Live Without Tomorrow and Nie jest źle / It’s Not So Bad from Goodbye, Till Tomorrow, and Szara kolęda / Gray Carol from his theater music for Breakfast at Tiffany’s).
Even masterpieces from the album Astigmatic have cinematic origins: Kattorna and Svantetic are, respectively, the main theme and a developed motif from The Cats. And then there’s Ballad for Bernt: a wistful theme beautifully interwoven with the Masurian landscapes of Knife in the Water. As a jazz theme—it works just as well.
Mariusz Gradowski
“Polish Music Scene” is an artistic program carried out by the National Institute of Music and Dance in cooperation with the Warsaw Philharmonic, funded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage.
Media patronage: Polish Music Information Centre POLMIC
Ticket information: https://filharmonia-slaska.eu/production/scena-muzyki-polskiej-gusnar-herdzin/
