William's Things


William's Things Concert (Poland / Great Britain)

Title: "A soul not all of wood"

Lyrics: William Blake, Henry David Thoreau

Music composed by: Michał Górczyński 

Musicians:

Michał Górczyński - double bass clarinet

Sean Palmer  - vocal

Tomasz Wiracki - piano

 

Live-recording of the concert: HOLLYBABA / Rami Shaya 

Camera operators: Janek Caban, Wojciech Kamerys

Light: Adam Galicki

Sound: Kamil Bobrukiewicz - BM Productions, Marcin Dobijański

 

Duration: 50 minutes (no intermissions)

Viewers' age: no limitations

 

ONLINE EVENT:

Date of the online concert (live stream): 21.08.2020 / Friday /

Time: 9 pm

Place: https://www.youtube.com/user/ChoreaTheatre / https://www.facebook.com/retroperspektywy/

Access: free, film available for 36 hours

 

After the event we invite the viewers to an online meeting and discussion with the artists (Q&A formula).

The discussion will be held in Polish.

Place: https://www.facebook.com/retroperspektywy/

 

LIVE EVENT:

Date of the live concert with the audience: 21.08.2020 / Friday /

Time: 9 pm 

Place: Outdoor Stage in Fabryka Sztuki in Lodz

Admission: free, prior booking of free tickets is required

 


DESCRIPTION OF THE CONCERT:

William's Things” is a project created by Michał Górczyński, Sean Palmer and Tomasz Wiracki, inspired by the poetry of William Blake, the greatest poet of British romanticism, a man of unique humanistic principles, that he fought for throughout his entire life.

The figure of William Blake has been attracting artistic non-conformists for years, suffice to mention Jim Jarmusch’s movie "Dead Man" or John Zorn with his albums "A Vision in Blakelight" and "In Lambeth-Visions From The Walled Garden Of William Blake". Thanks to "William’s Things" Górczyński, Palmer and Wiracki have joined the exclusive club of people infected with the incredible illness of blakeophillia.

Górczyński, Palmer and Wiracki have created a fine work, which eats into the conciousness of the listener and deeply moves him. Just like the works of Blake, they do not resort to cheap tricks and do not dazzle with what the public enjoys easily. Like William Blake himself, who wanted to avoid circumlocution, the three musicians amaze the listener with how just a few sounds are enough to express so many emotions. The unusual beauty of this music and the symbolic power of words are arranged in a homogeneous whole. What is important, the artists shy away from musical tittle-tattle and unnecessary ornaments. Such an ascetic musical concept seems to be perfect for the poetry of William Blake, who died in terrible poverty.

The ritual of sound and being, in conjunction with William Blake's poetry brings hearing closer towards infinity. The looping sounds, like a stream, a forest or a flock of birds, place the musicians in a specific state, bring them into a poetic place to create their notes in solitude. These things - pictures that William Blake left us are the beginning of communication with the spirit of the great artist. A sentiment for a different time, be it past or future, is expressed by the same vibration, which in poetry is manifested by changing a letter and in music by the beginning and end of a sound.
 

INFORMATION ABOUT THE ARTISTS:

Michał Górczyński - composer, music pedagogue, clarinetist. He is a graduate of the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Since 1998, he has been composing music for various instruments and ensembles ("Zróżnicowanie / Diversity" for two bassoons and clarinet, "Rondo a la Krakowiak" for a vociferous pianist and bass clarinet, "Malowanie / Painting" for two clarinets, bassoon, double bass, song cycles inspired by world languages ​​on violin, clarinet and cello) and for theatre (about 25 dramatic and puppet theatre productions). He deals with improvisation and interpretation of contemporary music. He has performed as a soloist with such bands as: de Ereprijs, Silesian String Quartet, Szczecin Philharmonic, Aukso, Chamber Orchestra, Philharmonic in Wrocław. He participated in Darmstadt Summer Course where he presented his original performance techniques on bass clarinet. He is the creator of installations, theoretical texts on author's theories, radio programs and underground films. Since 2002, he has been a member of the band "Kwartludium" specializing in contemporary music. Since 2008, he has been working on expanding the sound possibilities of the bass clarinet, inspired by the beat box and working with one of the best Polish beat boxers "Tik Tak" Patryk Matela. Scholarship holder of the Municipal Council of the Capital City of Warsaw and the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage as part of the program of creating alternative educational textbooks. Since 2013, he has been implementing the "music to languages" project, creating his own music for Yiddish (released in Multikulti Records), for Japanese poetry (released in 2015 for Fortune Records), for Jalaluddin Rumi's Persian poetry (released in 2016), for Indonesian poetry together with the Warsaw Gamelan Group and Sahnil Arif Farobiansah (2018).

Sean Palmer - actor, vocalist, composer. Trained in theatre and arts in Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. He has been a part of the Warsaw theatre and performance scene since 2000, traversing night clubs to national museums, Ancient Greek musical reconstruction to Broken Beat MC, fringe experiments to opera, solo shows and television, evangelist concerts to vocal improvisation, avant-garde to mainstream. He is an active creator, collaborator and educator. Since 2008 he has lived permanently in Warsaw. He began his own experimental choir in 2010 called GRE BADANIE exploring the boundaries of sound and energy as a carrier of meaning, it is still active. Since 2014 he has been the resident artistic director/conductor of the POLIN Museum Community Choir which performs two new performative concerts yearly. In 2018 he prepared the 40 strong choir to perform Philip Glass’s “Einstein on the beach” as well as a performative reading of the materials found in the temporary exhibition “Estranged: March ’68 and It’s Aftermath.” Sean is not a trained musician, however, has found himself composing for theatre and choirs, as well as singing and recording in multifarious settings. Since 2015 he has been the front man of the White Kites (psyche rock) and since 2013 The All Stars Dansing Band (just plain rubbish). In 2018 he recorded the second album with the White Kites (Nov.) and finished an album featuring texts by William Blake entitled “William’s Things” (Oct.). The major through line in his work is musicality or sounding. The search for the thing which can move us together regardless if it is a beat, a note a yelp or a growl, because sound can often go where words fail. He performed in "Oresteia" (directed by Michał Zadara in Grand Theatre in Warsaw) and "Death and the Maiden. Princess Dramas by Elfriede Jelinek" (directed by Anieszka Korytkowska-Mazur in the Dramatic Theatre in Warsaw), among others. Apart from all the above ‘arty stuff’, he’s also a big kid, a dad and a husband, has two children, two cats, loves running and doesn’t eat animals.

Tomasz Wiracki composer, pianist, sound designer. Graduate of the Grazyna and Kiejstut Bacewicz University of Music in Lodz. For many years, he has been composing for film, theatre and television. Author of the film music, awarded at the festival in Września, for the film “Żyć die umierać / Live, don’t die.” (directed by Maciej Migas). He cooperates with many outstanding and respected figures of Polish music and film industries. He also leads an active concert and publishing life. He improvises and plays with sounds, widely using his signature freedom of expression.

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