The Reymont Suite

Artists:

• CHRUST:
  • Karol Konop - synthesizer, keyboard
  • Dariusz Mrozek - drums, percussion
  • Gosia Oleszczuk - vocals, ukulele
• Falkowski Orchestra:
  • Adam Eljasiński - clarinet
  • Alan Turonek - trumpet
  • Szymon Kowalik - saxophone
  • Lucjan Szaliński-Bałwas  - first violin
  • Katarzyna Gluza - second violin
  • Agnieszka Dobrzyńska-Wasiucionek - viola
  • Jakub Pożyczka - cello
  • Maciej Walewski - guitars, mandolin
  • Arkadiusz Czernysz - accordion
  • Szymon Szczot - piano
  • Szymon Frankowski - double bass, bass guitar
  • Krzysztof Falkowski - conductor, percussive instruments

Program:

• Krzysztof Falkowski – The Reymont Suite [45' – comissioned by the Łódź Philharmonic]

Few writers in Poland are as strongly associated with Łódź as Władysław Stanisław Reymont. This is naturally because of the novel ”The Promised Land”, which transports the reader to the perilous beginnings of the industrial city of Łódź. The year 2025 was declared the Year of Reymont because of the hundredth anniversary of the death of the Nobel prize winner. The Łódź Philharmonic celebrates this occasion with the premiere of ”The Reymont Suite” composed by Krzysztof Falkowski. It is a piece inspired by three Reymont novels that were made into films: ”The Promised Land”, ”The Commedienne” and ”The Peasants”. ”The suite alludes to the aforementioned novels with its themes and drama” explains the composer. ”The most important threads of ”The Promised Land” are connected to capitalism and achieving success by all means necessary while also raising questions about morality and aspirations. In this part of the suite I chose to invoke the connotations of cinema and brutalism with the use of very strong rhythms. The part devoted to ”The Comedienne” consists of lighter and calmer music which invites reflection. In the part which is a homage to ”The Peasants” I utilized a combination of neofolk music with a large amount of electronic music and vivid contrasts. The plot of the novel has themes of love, sadness and reflection, but also carefree fun. These themes are conveyed not only by the music, but also with the use of lyricism. The lyrics were created by the members of CHRUST based on ideas developed in cooperation with me”.

Krzysztof Falkowski is a part of the new generation of Polish composers. A graduate of the Gdańsk Musical Academy (2021), he also works as an arranger and conductor. His creations are not only limited to classical music but also include film soundtracks and popular music. His inspirations encompass a diverse array of creators including names such as Krzysztof Penderecki, John Williams and Michael Jackson. Falkowski has won awards at numerous international composer contests, including the John Kuzma Young Composer Awards in USA (2019) and the Warsaw Wind Ensemble Composing Contest in the Polish category (2020). The Reymont Suite will be performed by the Falkowski Orchestra conducted by the composer and the CHRUST ensemble, which specializes in modern songs inspired by folk melodies and slavic culture. This year, the ensemble came fourth in the audience pre-selection vote for the Eurovision Song Contest and participated in the ”Must Be The Music” TV programme. The second album of the ensemble, entitled ”Przed Zmierzchem” (”Before Dawn”), has recently been released.

Photo: CHRUST, promotional materials of the ensemble