Leszek Możdżer in the UK. Photo: press materials
The Southbank Centre hosts a concert of songs from Możdżer's latest album, dedicated to the music of Poland's most famous film music composer
Considered among the most distinguished contemporary jazz pianists in the world, Możdżer has performed all over the world, winning a number of international prizes as his records go gold and platinium. His most recent album, titled simply "Komeda", presents Możdżer unique renditions of eight of Krzysztof Komeda's signature songs. The choice of songs presents a range of styles for both musicians, from the soundtracks to cinema classics like "Rosemary's Baby" and "Knife in the Water", to a very personal "Moja Ballada".
The album has received critical nods in both the Polish and international press, with The Guardian's John Fordam observing that Możdżer gives Komeda's pieces
a romantic sheen (though one that's abraded by a dissonant urgency) the composer would have understood. The opening Svantetic develops from brightly dancing lines to demonic chordal percussiveness. Low, booming resonances softly boil beneath the tricklingly poignant, then threateningly spiky Sleep Safe and Warm (written for Polanski's film Rosemary's Baby), while the skipping, boppish Cherry is a rare upbeat number. Możdżer's swaying swing and slow-melody nuances suggest Keith Jarrett at times, but his outbursts of percussive playing, flinty treble-note sparks and staccato drum-pattern sounds are all his own. The pianist stops dead in the midst of the closing Moja Ballada, as if in acknowledgement of Komeda's sudden (and mysterious) death in 1969, at the age of 38.
The album was recorded at Możdżer studio in March 2011 and released by the Munich-based ACT label that summer. Możdżer has said that he approached the project with great care and reserve, waiting six years before actually heading into the studio. He describes Komeda as one of his idols, adding,
I can still remember the first time I heard his music, it was incredible, this great depth and wisdom that appeared. Over time, I found out more about his biography and immense dedication to music. One of my favourite quotes by him is, "Live for music, not from music".
Możdżer had a great deal of freedom in selecting the track list and how he would interpret the pieces, remarking that "Komeda leaves so much freedom for the improvisational musician. If you look at the notes you can say that Komeda regards the interpreter as a partner. He trusts him and I can see that in the compositions".
"Komeda – Leszek Możdżer"
Featuring Leszek Możdżer on piano
Recorded by Grzegorz Czachor at Leszek Możdżer's studio in Wroclaw, 8 -11 March 2011 / Mix by Grzegorz. Czachor / Mastering by Tadeusz Mieczkowski / Piano: Fazioli model 212, tuned by Marcin Piechowski / Executive Producer: Paweł Potoroczyn / Produced by Sylwia Kicka, Outside Music ACT - The Art in Music: Coverart "untitled 2010" by Martin Noël (1956 - 2010), by permission of Margarete Noël.
Track List
01 Svantetic
02 Sleep Safe and Warm
03 Ballad for Bernt
04 The Law and The Fist
05 Nighttime, Daytime Requiem
06 Cherry
07 Crazy Girl
08 Moja ballada
Leszek Możdżer was born in 1971 in Gdańsk is a pianist and music producer. He also composes music for film. He graduated from Music Academy in Gdańsk. In 2011 he received such Frederick for best original soundtrack for the album "Kaczmarek to Możdżer".
The concert at the Southbank Centre takes place on the 1st of February 2012 at 19:45.
Listen to Leszek Możdżer on Myspace: www.myspace.com/leszekmozdzer
Source: www.actmusic.com, Polish Institute in London, Southbank Centre