The world of Andrzej Wajda in film music

Symphonic Concert

Performers:

Warmia and Mazury Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra

Zygmunt Rychert — conductor

North-Eastern and Afternoon Music Ensemble “Pro Forma”, conductor Marcin Wawruk

Conducting:

Magda Miska-Jackowska

Program, among others:

Mazur — ice. Wojciech Kilar/Choral composition: Marcin Wawruk (from the film Revenge — directed by A. Wajda)

Wacław and Klara —” — muz. Wojciech Kilar/choral work: Marcin Wawruk (theme of Wacław and Clara from the film Revenge — directed by A. Wajda)

Soplicowo — muse. Grzegorz Turnau/sł. Leszek A. Moczulski/choral work: Marcin Wawruk (song from the film Pan Tadeusz — directed by A. Wajda)

Polonaise — Wojciech Kilar (Mr. Tadeusz)

Waltz — Wojciech Kilar (The Promised Land)

Suite — Krzysztof Komeda (Innocent Wizards)

Chronicle of love accidents

Would the X muse do without music? Her current position is built on the association of her artistic sisters, which is not a new way of organizing artistic matter. After all, the idea of the synthesis of the arts was carried through almost all eras: the ancient drama, the opera (and in principle dramma per musica) in the Baroque, the musical drama of Richard Wagner — these are just a few examples. We can say that the film is a modern continuation of this path. It satisfies man's natural conditioning — multisensuality — and uses it to associate with something greater than himself — art.

Andrzej Wajda, our national film messenger, greatly appreciated the music in the film. It often has a figurative or symbolic meaning in his paintings — as in the final scene of the film Ash and Diamond, where Chopin's Polonaise in A major, Op. 40 sounds in a “crooked” arrangement for a festive ensemble... From his achievements and his words, it is clear that the director trusted Wojciech Kilar the most in matters of music:

“Usually the director says to the composer: “the film is ready, yet write the music.” And Wojciech Kilar would go out in front of everyone and say: “make me a film to my music”. Nor were there the endless discussions that directors usually have with composers. When he saw the movie, he just knew what I wanted to say.”

“Often the composers complete the film, and between the directors it is said: “the music will come, it will be good.” No! If Kilar's music came, it was integral and contained what belonged to her — what Wojciech Kilar wanted to add to the film. It was special. It wasn't just an illustration for a movie.”

This evening we will hear as many as 4 fruits of this collaboration: two songs for the film Revenge from 2002 based on the play by Aleksander Fredra, Waltz from the Promised Land (1974, based on the novel by Władysław Reymont — a melody imbued with prose of life in an incredibly poetic way) and the protagonist of almost all proms in Poland: Polonaise z Pana Tadeusz (1999, based on the work by Adam Mickiewicz). A certain story of the film master is connected with the latter:

“I have not yet had time to fully prepare for the shooting of the film Pan Tadeusz, because it was a big and complicated undertaking. (...) And then I got a CD from Wojciech Kilar. (...) It turned out that there is polonaise on the record! And a letter attached to it. “Listen to my music — writes Wojciech Kilar — because I think it's a good tip for you on how to make a film Mr. Tadeusz” [laughs]. Well, I already knew how to make a movie Mr. Tadeusz. Something like this has never happened to me before. It was as if he told me, 'Oh, that's how I'm going to make a movie! ' *

Wajda also trusted Kilar when filming The Chronicle of Love Accidents. The theme, saturated with romanticism, shows how the composer understood the big screen perfectly.

While thematically far from these immortal films, the melodrama Innocent Wizards is an intimate story about a deliciously untold, smoldering relationship between two young protagonists. Such a subtle theme was reflected in Krzysztof Komeda's jazz soundtrack, modern yet nostalgic — exactly like the mood in the film.

Agnieszka Teodora Zabińska

* https://dzieje.pl/kultura-i-sztuka/wajda-o-kilarze-robilismy-filmy-do-jego-muzyki (accessed 16.09.2026).

Zygmunt Rychert was born on 2 May 1947 in Gdańsk. He began his musical education at the age of four by learning to play the violin. Already as a student he was a full-time organist in the churches of Gdańsk. He studied conducting at the PWSM in Poznań with Prof. W. Krzemieński (diploma with honors in 1971) and composition under Florian Dąbrowski. He won many awards at composer and conducting competitions (while still a student and the youngest participant he became a laureate of the 1st Conducting Competition in Katowice in 1970). After graduation, as a scholarship holder of the MKS in 1971 he received a one-year scholarship to serve as assistant conductor at the Warsaw Philharmonic (1971-1972). He also held this position until 1974, already as a full-time employee of the National Philharmonic. In 1974 he founded the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra, which he conducted as artistic director until 1981. For several years he was artistic director of operas in Bydgoszcz and Gdańsk. He has prepared several opera, operetta and ballet premieres (Otello, Carmen, Cyrulik of Seville, Flis, Verbum nobile, Pan Twardowski, Ptasznik z Tyrol and others). He has collaborated with all philharmonies and radio orchestras in Poland. As a conductor he has toured almost all over Europe — from Iceland, Spain and Malta to Russia and Ukraine, he has also performed in Japan, China, the Middle East and 17 US states with such world soloists as: I. Ojstrakh, D. Rostropovich, K. Zimermann, K.A. Kulka, P. Badura-Skoda, N. Yepes, P. Paleczny, J. Olejniczh W. Malicki, and many others. His repertoire includes works ranging from chamber music to G. Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand, which he conducted several times in an 850-strong international ensemble, and even works performed with the participation of 3,000 musicians and singers during the visit of the Holy Father John Paul II to Poland in 1999. He has made numerous recordings with various orchestras and for Polish Radio and Television. He reconstructed, completely instrumented for orchestra and premiered the following works preserved by composers in sketches: L. Różycki — Violin Concerto (recorded with E. Nowicka archivally in Katowice with NoSpriTV), I.J. Paderewski — Violin Concerto, Liszt-Chopin-Czerny-Thalberg-Pixis-Herz — Hexameron, T. Kościuszko — 2 Poloneses. He has several decorations and medals, including the Golden Cross of Merit (awarded twice). He received the Pomeranian Artistic Award for 2014 in the Artistic Creations category for “creative and didactic work put into the preparation of the Symphony Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk, for the work that resulted in the recording of Wojciech Kilar's album: Angelus, Exodus, Victoria and Panufnik: Concertos”. As part of her teaching activities, she teaches symphonic and opera conducting classes at the Academy of Music in Gdańsk. In 2009-2018 he was the conductor of the Symphony Orchestra of the Academy of Music in Gdańsk.