The 2nd edition of the Kwadrofonik Festival will take place on December 2-3, 2016 in Warsaw. A series of concerts sited in the exciting new space of Nowy Teatr will feature diverse works inspired by and composed for film. Members of the Kwadrofonik Ensemble—Emilia Sitarz, Magdalena Kordylasińska-Pękala, Miłosz Pękala and Bartek Wąsik—are numbered among those artists who boldly leave their musical comfort zone. They move freely among various music genres, such as classical, electronic, contemporary and minimal ones, proving to be not only highly talented, but also curious and imaginative. For the second edition of their Festival, Kwadrofonik “extends the area of struggle” even further by testing the cinema as a medium they could incorporate into their artistic world. This year they have, symbolically, asked David Lynch for cooperation (thus paying birthday tribute to him, as Lynch is turning 70 this year), Alfred Hitchcock and Stanley Kubrick.
The opening concert, however, launches in a slightly different direction, featuring experimental electronic compositions by German composer Felix Kubin themed upon the process of work, technocracy, time and synchronicity. Kubin is an artist inspired by the works by Karlheinz Stockhausen and the aesthetics of Kraftwerk and DAF ensembles. Along with Warsaw musicians (percussionist Magdalena Kordylasińska-Pękala and Miłosz Pękala, and Hubert Zemler), “Hafenrhythmus” and “The Birth of the Ship” from their joint project “Takt der Arbeit” will illustrate a regular day of working at a shipyard in an educational and poetic way. A Chinese propaganda picture “Martial Arts” and an American didactic film from the 70’s called “Drugs, The Nervous System” will also be presented and impress upon the audience a deep moral message.
The second concert on December 2 will feature three cycles of Etudes by Nicole Lizée, performed by pianists Eve Egoyan, Emilia Sitarz and Bartek Wąsik, each dedicated to three different film directors: Alfred Hitchcock, Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch. These Etudes are three separate compositions, written for famous movie scenes, which are humorously reflected in music by Lizée. The combination of classical instruments, electronic layers and a compilation of iconic scenes by the above mentioned directors provides a new, very often different meaning of the scenes.
On December 3, the European premiere of the “Measures & Frames” program, featuring a collaboration between Lynch and PMC director Marek Zebrowski that was first premiered in 2015 at USC in Los Angeles, will be performed by the Royal String Quartet. The program includes excerpts of Joanna Bruzdowicz’s String Quartet ‘La Vita’ performed live to excerpts from Varda’s iconic feature, Vagabond (1985), Lynch’s 2015 animated short Pożar [Fire] set to a live performance of the score composed by Zebrowski, and a performance of Wojtek Blecharz’s intriguing Liminal studies. A new DVD featuring Liminal studies will also be premiered at the concert.
During the festival, they will premiere avant-garde filmmaker David Lynch’s Industrial Symphony No. 1, an experimental portrayal of 1990’s sounds. Industrial Symphony No.1 is a work created by David Lynch and composer Angelo Badalamenti. It is an experimental movie in which the music is as important as the visual side, and it is noticeably similar in style to two of Lynch’s other films, Twin Peaks and Wild at Heart. The expressive industrial scenes are accompanied by songs sung by Julee Cruise. At the festival, Kwadrofonik ensemble will be joined by rock guitarist and vocalist Artur Rojek to interpret these songs using their rich instrumentation.
Admission to all concerts is free and open to the public. To view the full program, click here.
Friday, December 2, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.
Kwadrofonik Festival – “TAKT DER ARBEIT”
Nowy Teatr, ul. Madalińskiego 10/16, 02-513 Warsaw, Poland
Info: kwadrofonik.com.pl & facebook.com
Free and open to the public
Friday, December 2, 2016 | 9:00 p.m.
Kwadrofonik Festival – “ETUDES: HITCHCOCK / KUBRICK / LYNCH”
Nowy Teatr, ul. Madalińskiego 10/16, 02-513 Warsaw, Poland
Info: kwadrofonik.com.pl & facebook.com
Free and open to the public
Saturday, December 3, 2016 | 7:00 p.m.
Kwadrofonik Festival – “MEASURES AND FRAMES”
Nowy Teatr, ul. Madalińskiego 10/16, 02-513 Warsaw, Poland
Info: kwadrofonik.com.pl & facebook.com
Free and open to the public
Saturday, December 3, 2016 | 9:00 p.m.
Jarosław Gołembiowski Anniversary Concert – “INDUSTRIAL SYMPHONY NO. 1”
Nowy Teatr, ul. Madalińskiego 10/16, 02-513 Warsaw, Poland
Info: kwadrofonik.com.pl & facebook.com
Free and open to the public
[Sources: polmic.pl, facebook.com]