I am posting this text to show how the former director of the Bank (Tomasz PASTERNAK) reacts to Music.

 

 

tom.pasternak@wp.pl                                          Sun, 28 Mar, 22:50

to me 

Dear Professor,

 Please accept apologies that it has taken me so long to gather my thoughts about the albums. Only yesterday, I realized why. I have been listening to both albums constantly, just alternating them. Suddenly, when  the Gentlemen's album was on, the sun came out and brought with it an illumination of sorts.  I realized how sunny and hot that music was, how strongly it was related to the spring, after such a long winter as we had had this year. Of course, such music is also wonderful to listen to in winter, but the sun has illuminated my reflections!

First of all, I would like to thank you for giving me an opportunity to get to know this music,   so full of folklore. I like folk music very much, and I regret it considering that it is still treated here as something  contemptible, and the  Polish saying  "I can't stand rudeness and highland music" drives me not only crazy but also desperate. I think that our folk costumes are much more beautiful than many others. Just think about it: everyone admires Mexican scarves; I also remember that when we went to meet Magda Olivero and Solda in Tyrol in August,  all the Italian women who were also there at the time, were wearing local costumes. And here we don't have this tradition, or it's very limited.  The costumes of Łowicz or Małopolska are, in my opinion, much more beautiful. And our folk music is also wonderful.  I often think that it took a German, Oskar Kolberg, to take care of it.  So many of the compositions would have been forgotten without him. I confess that Polish folklore' is starting to become my passion, both in terms of culture (music, costumes) and cuisine.  I love nettle dishes, and this year I am going to make my own real borscht from borscht, a forgotten plant that gave its name to a whole category of soups. I am really very interested in these things.

Both albums are incredibly beautiful, each in a slightly different way. I was focusing on a partnership among others, so I was thinking about how much the two duos partner each other in very different ways. It's amazing how these folk song motifs flow through each other, those pieces are definitely outstanding. Someone may say that these are trite motifs (which makes me grumble), but in these piano variations, they fly away to a completely different, metaphysical dimension. 

I think that the gentlemen are a bit more delicate and controlled; they play on a smaller scale, more intimately, attentively, maybe less crazily. Although they are also crazy in a way.

The ladies, on the other hand, on Noskowski's monographic album (I was greatly impressed by the "Highlander Fantasy"), were perfectly imitating the sounds of nature, beginning with thunder, a harbinger of a storm and dark clouds, miraculously changing into serenity and piercing sunshine; everything was  rendered perfectly with sharp, and dynamic   pounding on the piano keys which turned subtle when necessary. I love this kind of sharp, crazy playing, a bit of a roller-coaster ride, dynamic and strong – yet in  the Polonaise they seemed to recall the sound of a music box. The ladies are extremely picturesque in their playing, very artistic, with a great scale of expression and great power. In my opinion, this is a very emotional interpretation. Rhythmically strong, very mysterious, and magical. Sometimes it seems that two witches are playing play, and at other times -   two sorceresses.

However,  my impulse to end my reflection came from the gentlemen, when the sun came out again. They also play quite strongly and dynamically, they can bring out nonpiano sounds; in one piece I heard for a moment a dog barking, a squeegee, some steel, and rust. Maybe it's a different kind of crazy.

Both duos focus on each other incredibly, they complement each other and, I think, give themselves wings. Yes, I appreciate the Gentlemen's album, but the Ladies' album moved me more. I like stronger music. Comparisons are out of place and don't quite make sense, the repertoire is not repetitive, yet they are unavoidable nonetheless. After all, I'm not making a review, I'm just sharing my reflections emotionally and not professionally, without any factual references – which, as we have discussed many times in writing, has a different meaning. Just take the studio recordings:  I have never liked them, live is always better.

With great cordiality,

Tomasz Pasternak

 

Gentlemen's record: PIANODUO, Grzegorz Mania & Piotr Różański

Record of Ladies: PIANO DUO ARTISTS, Joanna Derenda-Łukasik, Marzena Buchwald