Remembering Kieslowski at Juliusz Slowacki Theater

The Juliusz Slowacki Theater will host a concert Jan. 25 of Wojciech Kilar’s music, commemorating Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowski.

Because of immense interest in the event (the free tickets were gone within two days), it will be repeated three days later, Jan. 28 at 19:30 in the Krakow Philharmonic.

The 1941-born Kieslowski studied direction in the National Film School in Lodz. Among his most famous works are 10 short television films, known as “The Decalogue” (“Dekalog”), and a trilogy he directed in France, “Three Colors” (“Trois couleurs”), consisting of the movies “Blue,” “White” and “Red,” created between 1993 and 1994.

“Red,” was completed supposedly at the peak of his career. It was nominated for the Academy Award in two categories, Best Original Screenplay and Best Director. Nevertheless, he decided that this was his last picture. He did not have much time to reconsider the decision because he died two years later after heart surgery.

Apart from his films, Kieslowski left screenplays, most of them written along with his friend, lawyer Krzysztof Piesiewicz, who was also the co-author of “Decalogue” and “Three Colors.”

They include “Heaven” – a part of another trilogy that included “Purgatory” and “Hell” – which was filmed in 2002 by Tom Tykwer, and included Cate Blanchett as the main character, Philippa.

This concert will consist of pieces of film music by another of Kieslowski’s friends, composer Wojciech Kilar. Kilar’s works include scores for “Bram Stoker’s Dracula” directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and Roman Polanski’s movies, such as “Death and the Maiden,” “The Ninth Gate” and “The Pianist.”

In Poland he is best known for his long-time cooperation with Krzysztof Zanussi, and, among others, with Kieslowski himself, for whom he wrote the music for the 1981 “Przypadek” (“Coincidence”).

Hosting the event will be one of Kieslowski’s favorite actors, who appeared in nine of the “Decalogue” movies, Artur Barcis, along with Grazyna Torbicka, a television journalist, best known as host of the program “Kocham Kino” (“I Love Cinema”), which presented fine and famous movies.
The screenplay of the concert was created by Stanislaw Zawislinski, author of a book on Kieslowski, called “Wazne, zeby isc” (“The important thing is to go on”). The music will be performed by the Simfonietta Cracovia orchestra, directed by Michal Nesterowicz.

Concert info: The event will take place on Friday and Monday, Jan. 25 and 28, at 19:30 in the Krakow Philharmonic, on ul. Zwierzyniecka 1. The free tickets (no more than two per person) can be obtained at the Tourist Information Network (Siec Informacji Miejskiej) office on ul. sw. Jana 2 from Jan. 23. They should be picked up soon as they may not last long.

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