Film Music Festival in Kraków Official Thread

[crocodile 8,018]

This year it's the music from the Alien series (Goldsmith, Horner, Goldenthal, Frizzell, Tyler), Goldenthal (who is attending with his wife Julie Taymor), Kilar 80th birthday celebration and The Perfume performed live to film. A bit smaller programme, but since the festival was almost cancelled it's still great they managed to do this much on such short notice.

I'm almost sure to be there (well, depending if I can get a few days off at that time). Missed it last year.

(Since Neimodian has abandoned us, I believe it is my duty to report this)

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

IF I get press accreditation and IF the airplane tickets are reasonable at the time, I will come too. But too early to tell. Either way, it would be a very budget-strict trip, especially since I'm now also going to LA in August.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

(Since Neimodian has abandoned us, I believe it is my duty to report this)

And he left without finishing my plumbing!

[crocodile 8,018]

I'm not sure if I want to take over this job from him...

Karol

[crocodile 8,018]

Just came back from the 5th edition. I'm knackered but will definitely post something more extensive later on.

In the meantime...

Yup, it's Elliot Goldenthal and myself. Sorry for that stupid smile, but I was really excited and chuffed to meet the man himself. I'm a fan, you see...

Karol

[Incanus 5,715]

Wow cool! Report! We demand a report!

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

My friend Rubén also went. He asked Goldenthal about a question about Alien 3.

[Thor 7,519]

Hey crocodile, is that really you?

I actually think I saw you during one of the events. Of course, I didn't realize it was you at the time, nor did I know that you were planning to go. Otherwise, we should have made contact.

By the way, I interviewed Goldenthal again (for the second time) and will post my interview soon. It was during the rehearsals for the concert.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Neimodean didn't go?

[crocodile 8,018]

No. he had a family wedding to attend to. Pity, I wanted to meet him in person.

Hey crocodile, is that really you?

I actually think I saw you during one of the events. Of course, I didn't realize it was you at the time, nor did I know that you were planning to go. Otherwise, we should have made contact.

By the way, I interviewed Goldenthal again (for the second time) and will post my interview soon. It was during the rehearsals for the concert.

Yup, that's really me. I was wondering whether you would show up. But the last time you mentioned it you weren't sure so I assumed that plan has had been abandoned. Pity, maybe next time? If not in Cracow/Kraków then maybe someplace else? There's a Williams concert to be performed by LSO in November.

Karol

[Hlao-roo 389]

[crocodile 8,018]

I love you. Marry me.

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Gay!

[crocodile 8,018]

It used to be such a nice word...

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

The past is dead, carol!

[crocodile 8,018]

Stephanie, are you there? Or are you living somewhere in the past hanging on to dreams you should let fade away

Karol

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

who told you?

[Ren 75]

Can't wait to hear a report!

[Neimoidian 14]

No. he had a family wedding to attend to. Pity, I wanted to meet him in person.

Karol

Don't worry, you didn't miss anything. I am not as cool as it seems.

(Since Neimodian has abandoned us, I believe it is my duty to report this)

And he left without finishing my plumbing!

You have been watching too many gay porn lately, haven't you.

[#SnowyVernalSpringsEternal 10,265]

Ssstttt.....

And I think you are a pretty cool guy.

[Thor 7,519]

By the way, I have a few pics from the trip up at facebook, in case anyone's interested:

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150977240301278.477819.530696277&type=1&l=afb69a8dfe

[Neimoidian 14]

I envy you guys, I wanted so badly to come this year, especially for Goldenthal and Biomechanical Symphony. Gladly, you seem to have had a great time in Krakow. I can only hope the city's authorities won't try to temper with the Festival next year, so we could all enjoy it once again.

Ssstttt.....

And I think you are a pretty cool guy.

Don't get sentimental with me, buddy!

[Neimoidian 14]

A nice piece of video from Goldenthal's panel in Krakow.

http://youtu.be/7V_ycB3TC-Y

[Thor 7,519]

OK, here is my coverage of the festival in two parts, one on the concerts and one on the Q&As and stuff.

They're both in Norwegian, but the second part includes two video segments in English, one of which was shot by FSM/Maintitles member Francis:

http://montages.no/2012/05/unike-konsertopplevelser-under-arets-krakow-film-music-festival/

http://montages.no/2012/05/qa-om-alien-og-filmmusikk-samarbeid/

There is one more part to come, the Goldenthal interview, but I'll post about that later.

[Thor 7,519]

My interview with Elliot Goldenthal (click the sound file):

http://montages.no/2012/06/pauseprat-med-elliot-goldenthal/

He says GRENDEL is going to be released next year!

[crocodile 8,018]

Strange, he told me it is really difficult, because it's expensive to pay for this kind of recording. Especially now that all the performers are major stars. They said it would be tricky.

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

Strange, he told me it is really difficult, because it's expensive to pay for this kind of recording. Especially now that all the performers are major stars. They said it would be tricky.

Karol

Yeah, but he was a little 'off' during the seminars and Q&As. Like when that guy asked him about his future plans, and he raved on about none of us having any future to look forward to. He's a very idiosyncratic fellow! By the way, were you the guy asking him that question in the seminar? If so, I remember you even more vividly.

Seems like he has 70% finished the vocal recordings with the original cast, and that orchestral overlays will be added later. Can't wait!

[crocodile 8,018]

There were two seminars. The one with Townson on Thursday and the one on Saturday with him and Julie Taymor. I only went to this second one.

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

There were two seminars. The one with Townson on Thursday and the one on Saturday with him and Julie Taymor. I only went to this second one.

Karol

Yeah, I attended both. There was one person asking about GRENDEL, but I can't remember which one of the seminars it was. I thought maybe it was you.

[crocodile 8,018]

Yep, it was me.

By the way the three official featurettes are up on Youtube:

EDIT: Hey, Thor, I saw you. You were sitting one row in front of me. You asked about Julie Taymor about Fool's Fire, didn't you?

Karol

[crocodile 8,018]

My ramblings.

Hope it's articulate enough (can't guarantee that).

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

Yep, it was me.

By the way the three official featurettes are up on Youtube:

EDIT: Hey, Thor, I saw you. You were sitting one row in front of me. You asked about Julie Taymor about Fool's Fire, didn't you?

Karol

Yes, I did.

Weird that we were both basically sitting next to each other, but we didn't know who the other was!!

[crocodile 8,018]

I realized that when after listening to your audio interview. You mentioned the film being on Youtube as well. I remember that quite well.

Karol

[Neimoidian 14]

I listened to you interview, Thor. I liked it. Good job

[Thor 7,519]

Thank you.

The interview was kinda 'stunted' in one of the rehearsals breaks. That's why I often 'interupt' Goldenthal. So many questions and so little time. Plus, he often goes on these long tangents that aren't always related to the question, so one needs to rail him back in.

[Neimoidian 14]

Anyway, he seems to be very open guy, which is great when you interview sb.

I'm looking forward to your Ghent interview with Goldenthal, which I am going to check out later.

[Thor 7,519]

Hey crocodile, check out this video (mostly in Polish):

We both appear at about 8:08, I almost directly in front of you. Weird!

I also pop up in the beginning, at the press conference, at about 0:40.

[alicebrallice 134]

haha! that is awesome.

[crocodile 8,018]

Haha! Really small world.

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

Indeed. And to think that neither of us knew who the other was, is just absurd!

[Neimoidian 14]

Amateurs.

[crocodile 8,018]

So it looks like the next year's festival takes places on 26-29th of September. Pity, it's not May, but at least we get four days again.

And we'll getting The Matrix live to projection this time (these concerts are what makes Krakow unique). And apparently Don Davis is conducting himself. Can't wait!

Karol

[Thor 7,519]

Looking forward to it.

I will be part of the festival myself next year, in a capacity I cannot yet reveal.

So I'm there. Maybe we'll actually meet this time, Karol. It's too funny that we sat literally next to each other on this year's festival, but didn't know who the other was!

[crocodile 8,018]

Well, I promised myself that I will be there.

Karol

[Neimoidian 14]

Hopefully, I will be there too. Having Don Davis conduct The Matrix life is a wonderful idea. Can't wait either.

[crocodile 8,018]

Where have you been? Do you have any idea what I was going through while you were away? Kristen Stewart! Scam siege! Radagast! BloodBoal!

Karol

[Neimoidian 14]

I see you were doing fine after all. I have been here only like a silent guardian and watchful protector this time.

[crocodile 8,018]

And so I came back last night from the 6^th edition of the festival. It has been quite an experience, probably even better than last year’s. This time we were treated to five concerts over the course of four days – each one of them quite unique.

First night was devoted completely to the Spanish composer Alberto Iglesias, one of the film artist I knew (and respected) from various films, but never bought a single album of his (which has been corrected last week). It was a truly magical night, consisting mostly of his scores from the films of Pedro Almodovar (the whole first part of the concert). We got to hear suites from Talk to Her, Bad Education, Volver, Skin I Live In and a few others. After the interval they played an extended suite for oboe and orchestra called Tinker Tailor Oboe Spy (you can probably guess the films’ title). It was one of the highlights of the evening, followed by the performance of Iglesias’ two concert pieces for. Overall, I have to admit that was my favourite concert. Iglesias is a fantastic composer, with a great skill of conjuring great orchestral colour, one of the few I would classify as true successors to Bernard Herrmann – it has a similar kind of sensibility. But coming from a slightly different tradition of filmmaking.

Second day I spent on two meetings with composers – Iglesias and Don Davis. Both were very interesting, albeit in a very different ways. Iglesias is clearly an introvert, with a slightly weaker grasp on English, Davis, on the other hand, was throwing jokes and telling stories how the contemplated murdering Wachowskis when they failed to communicate efficiently while working on The Matrix. He also jokingly (or perhaps seriously) advised everyone to buy his CD release of opera Rio de Sangre. Pictures taken, autographs as well, it was time to start the concert part of the day. This days’ chamber-like concerts were dedicated to European arthouse documentaries. The first concert took place in a church. It was dedicated to Ernst Reijseger’s music to Werner Herzog’s Cave of Forgotten Dreams and Requiem for a Dying Planet. It was a truly dazzling experience. The composer played cello for the duration of the whole concert and some of the sounds he was conjuring on this one instrument were truly astonishing. Accompanied by Harmen Fraanje on piano/organ, vocal soloist Mola Sylla, a Sardinian vocal choir and another one as well, he really managed to give me tingles. It was so different from what I usually listen to, yet so compelling. I might even buy this CD. The other concerts, which took place an hour later, presented the music from two albums from Valgeir Sigurðsson – the Icelandic musician. It was another small-scale performance for two soloists (viola and viola da gamba) a chamber orchestra and composer providing all the electronic ambience. While not exactly my cup of tea, musically at least, I can at least appreciate the intent behind his eco-friendly efforts.

Day three marked the grand gala concert revolving around one of Polish classical and film music radio station’s 10^th anniversary. They decided to invite ten composers to celebrate this occasion. The concert opened with a performance of a short score to a animation Dark Side of the Moon composed by the winner of the film music composition competition and this performance was part of a grand prize. It was a grand Hollywood sound, that we all know (and love?). Nice overture to the evening. Two major guests – Craig Armstrong and James Newton Howard - couldn’t appear due to other commitments, which was a major bummer for me, I have to admit. Howard recorded a video message to the audience, introducing his suites from The Sixth Sense and The Village with a suggestion/promise he will visit Krakow next year. I have to say his material was really good. Armstrong’s presentation consisted of the extended piece from this years’ The Great Gatsby, as wall as a short piece from Love Actually. The main body of the concert was, perhaps unsurprisingly, mostly dedicated to Polish composers present at the gala, with their music being spread in between other composers’. Of those, they played the music of Jan A.P. Kaczmarek’s (Finding Neverland, Unfaithful, Anna Karenina), Michal Lorenc (Pigs and The Bandit) and, most importantly, Abel Korzeniowski (W.E, Escape from Tomorrow and A Single Man), who was clearly a star of the evening. The other pieces included the memorable silent film sequence from Alberto Iglesias’ Talk to Her played alongside the film, Don Davis’ Neodammerung from The Matrix Revolutions and a suite from Diego Navarro’s Oscar, The Color of Destiny (guest-conducted by the composer). Two pieces from The Tudors and Borgias (presenting various cues) closed the concert and evening and I have to say the music was surprisingly strong. Not necessarily the most subtle or nuanced, but as far as the spectacle went, it was very fitting as a climax – especially with the extensive inclusion of chorus throughout. The orchestra was led by none other than Gavin Greenway and the playing of Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra was really strong. What made this evening really special is that composers were seated among the audience and it so my place was situated just mere few meters from Don Davis’ and his wife (they were actually sitting in a row behind me). The absence of the two mentioned composers ultimately made it the least impressive of the events, for me at least.

The final day we had a audience meeting with Abel Korzeniowski. It was the most entertaining of the three I attended. Abel interrupted the interview part almost right away and chose to speak to the audience. A lot of the questions were asked – the James Horner replacement job on Romeo and Juliet, the absence of Battle for Terra CD (which will never happen), his surprising appearance om the Avatar soundtrack CD booklet (scoring session picture), the BMV commercial and other things. He was a true gentleman and a really cool guy, as well.

The only thing left was the final, fifth concert of the festival. Traditionally, each year one of the concerts is dedicated to live to projection performances. This year it was The Matrix, conducted by Don Davis himself. One of the curious changes from the film version is that the whole Rage Against the Machine finale (and the end credits) are replaced by the original score, which is only fitting for a performance such as this. The playing of the very young AUKSO orchestra was exceptional. I kept forgetting they were there, such was the quality. It was cool to observe the prepared piano playing and how Davis managed to replace the traditional Asian percussion with a more traditional orchestral ensemble in the dojo training sequence. The only curiosity is that they didn’t use the chorus at all in this, which is slightly disappointing, but didn’t change the fact the audience absolutely loved it. It's a difficult score to easily enjoy on its own, but very vital to its film and the concert showed us just how much.

Overall, it seems like they're getting better and better with each year. Some years ago, when the festival first appeared, there were a lot of technical issues, but most of them are being taken care of and it's a pleasure to watch how this event is becoming more and more respected with each year. I'm enjoying the diversity of the repertoire. It's a bit of Hollywood, a bit of Asian flavour, a bit of respected European arthouse, some video games, some TV and, finally, some smaller, more personal films - a perfect representation of how varied and diverse film music can be. In the previous years we were visited by Tom Tykwer, Eric Serra, Tan Dun, Max Raabe, Shigeru Umebayashi, Joe Hisaishi, Howard Shore, Masashi Hamauzu, Wojciech Kilar and Elliot Goldenthal. It seems like a quite an impressive list to me and a promise of even greater things in the near future.

Oh I got to meet Neimoidian briefly, who attended the festival with his girlfriend. He was quite busy reporting the event for Soundracks.pl website so I didn't bother him much. He had a tight schedule, poor chap. Not to mention the fact my trip to Krakow was a part-time family reunion anyway. I don't get to see them often, you see.

Karol - now almost ready for Horner/Elfman concert combo this coming weekend

[Jay 37,372]

Wow, Escape From Tomorrow must have been awesome to hear live!

The final day we had a audience meeting with Abel Korzeniowski. It was the most entertaining of the three I attended. Abel interrupted the interview part almost right away and chose to speak to the audience. A lot of the questions were asked – the James Horner replacement job on Romeo and Juliet, the absence of Battle for Terra CD (which will never happen), his surprising appearance om the Avatar soundtrack CD booklet (scoring session picture), the BMV commercial and other things. He was a true gentleman and a really cool guy, as well.

Can you elaborate on this, what were his answers to these questions?

[crocodile 8,018]

I asked him about the Battle for Terra CD. He said it would never happen because the rights reside somewhere else. There was supposed to be a CD back in the day but people who own the rights never established the company that was supposed to release it. He suggested jokingly the illegal unofficial promo floating around might be the only option.

People asked him about Horner and the replacement score. He wouldn't comment on why that happened. He had 7 weeks to complete the work. There seems to be an issue with who owns rights to the score and because the previous score was owned by someone else, the soundtrack album is being slightly delayed. He respects Horner and his favourite score from him is A Beautiful Mind.

Abel appears on Avatar soundtrack scoring picture. He actually visited scoring sessions on the day and that is a pure coincidence that he's there.

As for BMV commercial, his music from A Single Man has been used in the UK's TV programme about cars and because of that the company asked him to adapt that for a commercial. But a day before sessions they asked him for something else. But he's pleased with the result.

He couldn't find a job for a long time in Hollywood and because of that his wife found a babysitting job and through that connection he met the director of Escape from Tomorrow. And that's how he ended up scoring the film.

And Madonna told him not to overcomplicate music, to his initial disappointment. But then he managed to explore other, less thematic avenues, and the score ended up being satisfying.

Oh and Don Davis also said that there will be The Matrix Revolutions expanded release sometime towards the end of this year (which I already mentioned), but I wouldn't hold my breath for the complete The Matrix, which he's very happy with (the deluxe edition, that is). He thinks the latter two films are overscored and overblown and probably because of that the films turn out to be worse (which is ridiculous, the music is definitely not one of films' problems). He also made a funny remark on how Wachowskis had a hard time communicating their ideas and how they sometimes gave him contradicting instructions (score it big, but don't overwhelm sound effects). Jurassic Park III was mentioned briefly (but only in context of that Williams' themes are joy to work with), he said some nice things about Williams in general and how stupid would it be for a filmmaker to ask him for a mock-ups (given his stature). He also talked about how orchestrators get paid by page and all the busy music takes longer time to complete and that's why the supervising orchestrator delegates those to other orchestrators and he does the easy and quicker parts themselves (hence, getting paid more). And that Randy Newman's sketches are often unreadable (handwriting). And he also said he turns down orchestrating jobs where he doesn't like the music.

I'm sure there is more, but at the moment that's what I can remember.

Karol