3000 people and my orchestrations of classic rock songs

Fantastic experience in Kalisz Arena during V P. Berger Festival where my orchestrations of three classic rock songs where performed by Kalish Philharmonics for 3000 people as last support before Dżem - cult polish blues-rock band. I have put a lot heart and effort into this works and I thinkg that I achieved my goal which was orchestra fire on the stage.

This is also the moment to express my great symphaty do Kalish Philharmonics. So much smiling people in one group :) And of course Adam Klocek - director - calm and crazy at the same time, what he definitively prooved during playing Kashmir, by leaving orchestra to play alone and improvising on iphone melodies sung originaly by Robert Plant.

Below I attach self made telephone recording (really bad sound quality, but still something) just to have some reminder and thing to show. Hopefully beter quality recording will come soon. Deep Purple - Highway Star and Led Zeppelin - Kashmir with Adam Klocek joining on iPad. Enjoy :)

By the way, Dżem crushed my barriers and without any impudence on stage went precisely into my solar plexus with a lot of warm to give. Incredible!

"Symphony of hearts" - social campaign about Multiple Sclerosis.

I was honoured to make sounddesign in spot that was emitted in polish cinemas as a part of social campaign "Symphony of Hearts" by Polish  Association of Multiple Sclerosis in 2009.

10 pianos on the stage + big band + orchestra

Another fabulous project co-coordinated by Kalisz Philharmony with Multi.Art association. Two concerts in one. First part: compositions for 10 pianos and symphonic orchestra by six young polish composers - my talented colleges and me (there is another post about it to come). Second part: 10 pianos and Powiat Ostrowski Big-band conducted by Robert Matuszewski. This second part in which I arranged parts of 10 pianos into great classic american and polish jazz standards arrangements for big band was especially close to my heart. Kind of back to the roots to remind myslef that there was a time when I was jazz guitarist practising scales all the time. Anyway, look at that splendid awards winnig big-band and 10 excellent pianists! Below I enclose self made phone wideo. Only here on this site.

Memories from cooperation with Gaba Kulka

Arrangements of Gaba Kulka songs for symphonic orchestra was my first such big project of that kind. My aim was to emulate with orchestra all strange sounds one can find in album Out. The project has been played few times since that time. Recently I was asked to rearrange five songs for string orchestra and this has also been played twice, although I haven't heard this yet. Hopefully I will get recording.

Here is the time and place to thank Adam Klocek - great conductor and cello player, executive manager and artistic director of Kalisz Philharmony - for giving me this job (and many others afterwards) and to thank Maciej Grzybowski who recomended me to Adam after listening to my Imagine - piano concerto... and to thank Maciej Piszek who played this concerto amazingly with Polish Radio Orchestra conducted by Wojciech Michniewski.

Here is movie that can be found on youtube:

And two souvenir photos:

Lecture about audio compression at SWAM Institute event during Tauron Nowa Muzyka Festival

SWAM Institute - Polish Institute for Audio Education was invited by Tauron Nowa Muzyka Festival to organize half day workshops. This quite big event was organized by me and I was giving the lecture about compression after which I have heard two people commenting that it was the best lecture about compression they have ever heard. What a wonderful complement! Still, I had so much more to say. Anyway, my lecture was followed by two specialists: Marek Walaszek about mix and Paweł Cyrta about programing Max for Live. After lectures we had occasion to visit this festival, listen to some really good electronic music and... drink some good alcohol with artists :)

This was one of three SWAM Institute public workshops during holiday 2010. We had also two lectures during Soundedit - International Festival of Music Producers and Sound Designers and two lectures during Music Media - the biggest event in the Polish music industry. SWAM Institue gradually becomes well-known in Poland. It is in fact the first school in Poland that emphasise the artistic aspect of mix and mastering and promotes perspective on mix as a new branch of arts.

Folk opera on the water - genuine music event on Mazurian lakes

I was invited by very gifted director Maciej Puczyński to record the sound of absolutely unique and incredibly beatiful event that was a part of integrational actions for people in Masurian Lake Disctrict in Poland. The girls sing songs to commemorate a tragic story of a wedding on an island, when people coming back drowned in the lake.

The action was staged by Alicja Ruczko with Albedo Group for the local villigers, on who's memories various actions are based. It is part of Ryszard Michalski's "Tratwa" Association project for integration of the society in the region. The actual footage is a part of an ongoing documentary production showing the presence of complicated history of the Masurian area in people's present lives.

There's also a lot of interviews with the villagers in OMProductions' hard drives archives part of which I was also recording as a soundman. However, if you're able to read in Polish, you can find the stories collected on Cells of Memory (Ogniwa Pamięci) website.

Here is short film edited from that material but we have shot and recorded whole event which is like a folk opera on the water. Hopefully we will put out entire event somehow in the future as a video or audio. Enjoy!

Cells of Memory from Maciej Puczyński on Vimeo.

Directed and edited by: Maciej Puczynski
Cinematographers: Maciej Puczynski, Maciej Długaj
Sound: Pawel Przezwański
Canon EOS 5D MkII mixed with Sony Z7 + Letus.

My biggest public event with Zakopower and Kalish Philharmony

Rock band, ethnic highlander quartet and symphonic orchestra with my orchestration. It was great experience to work on Mateusz Pośpieszalski songs. And it was the first time I felt that I really know how to write for orchestra... this means I was satisfied with my work :)

Also it was the first time I worked with the FOH engineer on the front mix to fit all those sounds in that small stereo area. Fortunately we had nice brass parts to expose.

Anyway, after that concert I become a fan of Zakopowers drummer - Piotr Żyżlewski!



Concert photo:

Rehersal photo:

My sound in short film Conversation by Michał Modlinger

I am very satisfied with quality sound carefully taken from well-known polish actress ms Barbara Bursztynowicz in the film Conversation directed by young tallented director Michał Modlinger.

Can you hear that trembling top of a pot in the kitchen scene? That is what I like to deal with as a soundman.

Conversation from Michal Modlinger on Vimeo.

Symphonic metal by Ceti, Kalisz orchestra and children choir

Extreme metal experience with legend of polish rock - Grzegorz Kupczyk (vocalist of Turbo) and his metal band Ceti. I was orchestrating  for Kalisz Philharmony orchestra and children choir their very complexed songs. I also wrote instrumental intro to that concert. Although Grzegorz had his 50th annivesary he still sings splendidly with perfect hardrock style!  

Here is SPOT of the concert. At the beggining you can hear my Intro.

And some photos from the concert in Kalisz:

Artistic "meeting" with Sofia Gubajdulina

My arangement of Heinrich Schütz - Die Sieben Worte Jesu Christi am Kreuz for Kalisz Symphonic Orchestra was beeing played between two compositions by Sofia Gubajdulina: Am Rande des Abgrunds and Sieben Worte. What a pity that I was seriously ill at that moment! Especially that Gubaidulina played aquaphone by herself.

Welcome!

In this blog I will be living some trails from interesting projects I participate (or participated) in. You may  find here some abolutely unique memorial wideo or photos from rehersal, film atelier, concert, recording, etc. I wish you pleasant journey throughout my current and past projects.