In the beginning there was Jakub Piątek’s documentary, Pianoforte, an absolutely consummate film that deservedly continues to win multiple awards.
Or no, not that… it began with the International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition, by far most prestigious cultural event in any arts held in Poland, whose renown is truly global. Enough to say that every five years, once pianists from around the world have descended upon Warsaw, Chopin becomes a conversation topic on trams and at the barber’s, just like the goals scored by Robert Lewandowski.
Directed by Marcin Liber, well known at Boska Komedia / Divine Comedy, most recently for his Lepper. Będziecie wisieć albo siedzieć / Lepper. You Will Either Hang or Be Jailed, the new production takes a glimpse into the backstage of this one-of-a-kind competition. It endeavours to answer questions such as: Do you feel the same butterflies in the tummy the second time around as you did the first? Can you listen to the same pieces for seven hours a day? How long does it take to arrive at the competition if you travel by bus? What are you capable of once they’ve considered you not capable enough? What is better: participating in the competition or in a zombie apocalypse? Do the cracks on your fingertips hurt badly? Why aren’t we taught how to cope with pressure? What if my playing doesn’t make the world’s heart stand still?
Are these questions only young pianists ask? What about young actors? They, too. Live through various types of dilemmas…
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The performance uses fragments of works by Fryderyk Chopin:
Prelude in A minor, Op. 28 No. 2, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Prelude in E minor, Op. 28 No. 4, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Prelude in F sharp minor, Op. 28 No. 8, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Prelude in E flat minor, Op. 28 No. 14, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Prelude in C minor, Op. 28 No. 20, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Prelude in D minor, Op. 28 No. 24, performed by Alexandre Tharaud
Sonata in B flat minor, Op. 35, performed by Aimi Kobayashi
Etude in C minor, Op. 10 No. 12, performed by Olga Rusina
Piano Concerto in F minor, Op. 21, performed by Benjamin Grosvenor
Waltz in G flat major, Op. 70, No. 1, performed by Artur Rubinstein
Waltz in D flat major, Op. 64, No. 1, performed by Janusz Olejniczak
Lento con gran espressione in C sharp minor (Nocturne in C sharp minor), performed by Janusz Olejniczak
Ballad in G minor, Op. 23, performed by Janusz Olejniczak
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Photos by Klaudyna Schubert
