Full seven days packed with concerts, memories and premiered recitals. A real magic of music! The turn of May and June will, as it should, belong to the Krakow Film Music Festival –this time in the Internet only! Every day, our audience will be taken on an exciting journey, and its paths have been carefully planned in a way with reference to the programme announced earlier. Starting with our calm, soothing concert cycles: Cinema Chorale and Cinematic Piano we will finally reach large, spectacular gala events organised in the TAURON Arena Krakow. At last, we can officially invite you all to take part in the 13th FMF online! Together, let’s #stayathome, watch the concerts on FMF Facebook and listen to them thanks to the RMF Classic airwaves.
On May 26th, 2020, we were to gather at the church of St. Stanislas Kostka in Krakow, inaugurate our festival week joyously and start filling it with film music. To keep the tradition alive, we will take our fans on a virtual journey to the interior of the church of St. Catherine of Alexandria to listen to the Cinema Chorale concert recorded there a year ago with the participation of the Pro Musica Mundi choir. "The human voice has an amazing range of emotional depth and thanks to it, a great ability to bring a great sound effect into the film. On the other hand, it adds a truly intimate quality to the picture, and all this works very well off the screen" – commented a Swedish composer Mikael Carlsson, shortly after the concert. He was the one responsible for the preparation of most of the choral arrangements that appeared in the concert program. And so, we will spend the first festival evening accompanied by wonderful choral pieces from The Mission, La grande bellezza, Death in Venice or Les choristes.
Wednesday evening will steal the hearts of film music fans and fill them with the amazing atmosphere of the Cinematic Piano concert cycle. In 2018 we invited the duo of Volker Bertelmann (Hauschka) and Dustin O'Halloran – and even in our wildest imagination we have not dreamt that their double grand piano performance will exceed our already high expectations. Thanks to their concert, we will bring back the Oscar-nominated soundtrack for the film Lion. On Thursday, following the track of the piano craftsmanship, we will invoke the concert of a French composer and an outstanding pianist – Jean-Michel Bernard. When it comes to the music genres, we will hear in it almost everything – nostalgic waltzes and lullabies, lyrical cantilenas and complicated jazz rhythms, nostalgic blues and a fiery ragtime performed for an encore. Concert repertoire will include, among others, such hits as: E.T., Indiana Jones, Mission Impossible, Schindler's List, Taxi Driver and Spartacus.
We will be introduced to the atmosphere of the weekend by a concert most beloved by the FMF audience – All Is Film Music: 10th FMF Anniversary Gala! La La Land by Justin Hurwitz, Star Wars by John Williams, Lord of the Rings by Howard Shore, Finding Neverland by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek, Penny Dreadful by Abel Korzeniowski, Inception by Hans Zimmer, The Hunger Games by James Newton Howard, Power Rangers by Brian Tyler – these are just some among all of the iconic themes that will make our Friday evening filled with musical pleasure. The concept of this concert was to sum up "everything that has built our festival over the years" – as Robert Piaskowski, FMF artistic director said about it at the time. But, we promise not to slow down the tempo – a day later we will present the International Series Gala from 2015, which will be an introduction to what awaits us next year, namely, the second edition of the TV Series Gala! The screens of your laptops, tablets and smartphones will fill up with themes from such series as Game of Thrones, The Borgias, Vikings, House of Cards, Downton Abbey, The Dovekeepers, Dexter, The Knick, Time of Honor and The Pack. The following day, Sunday, will overflow us with dear memories from 2016 and the concert Film Music Gala: Animations. The soundtracks for animated films – both those of full-length and shorts, as well as those produced for television in the form of a series – are very often spectacular symphonic and vocal works, created by the truly greatest composers, including John Powell (How to Train Your Dragon, Ice Age), Hans Zimmer (Prince of Egypt), Harry Gregson-Williams (Shrek), Alexandre Desplat (Rise of the Guardians), Alan Menken (The Beauty and the Beast). All of that on May 31!
As a dessert, a real treat for Children’s Day served by FMF – Disney in Concert: The Magic of Music. Last year, musicians from the FMF Youth Orchestra, an ensemble selected among students from many different the schools in the Lesser Poland region, joined forces with peers from our befriended festival in Tenerife and played for a 10,000 audience at the TAURON Arena Kraków. Young musicians had to meet a truly demanding task, accompanying the vocals of such polish pop stars, as Natalia Nykiel, Kasia Łaska or Michał Szpak. On the conducting podium – next to Monika Bachowska – stood the American-Finnish baton champion, Erik Ochsner, known to FMF fans from Frozen in Concert, the festival accompanying event from February 2016, or Pixar in Concert, which officially opened TAURON Arena Kraków in May 2014. The titular ”magic of music” will consist of the greatest titles from the Walt Disney films, including The Little Mermaid, Coco, Moana, Aladdin, Tangled, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Hercules, Frozen, The Beauty and the Beast, Mary Poppins Returns, Pocahontas, Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. Of course, all of it would not be possible without the presence of legendary songs written by Elton John and Tim Rice for the The Lion King. The grand finale of FMF 2020 will be sparkling with thousands of colours of confetti, fireworks and golden rain – this evening will definitely guarantee a lot of fun not only for the youngest fans of FMF.
13th FMF online programme is formed out of carefully selected concerts from the last five years of the festival, which we will watch for the first time in full on the Internet. In addition, we will invite you daily to the premiered recitals as part of the LIVE from Studio cycle, where musicians from all around the world play straight from their homes and recording studios. We will award FMF Young Talent Award and Polish Soundtrack of the Year 2019. During the festival, we will also present numerous interviews and interesting facts on both RMF Classic waves and Facebook profiles of FMF and RMF Classic. Every day at 9 pm, there will be a radio retransmission of the concerts waiting for the RMF Classic devoted listeners. Soon you will know more details. Let’s devote the last week of May to #stayathome and watch FMF concerts!
Festival timetable:
26.05 – 8pm – Cinema Chorale (2019)
27.05 – 8pm – Cinematic Piano: Lion - Hauschka & Dustin O’Halloran (2018)
28.05 – 8pm – Cinematic Piano: Jean-Michel Bernard (2017)
29.05 – 8pm – All Is Film Music: 10th FMF Anniversary Gala (2017)
30.05 – 8pm – International TV Series Gala (2015)
31.05 – 8pm – Film Music Gala: Animations (2016)
1.06 – 6pm – Disney Concert: The Magic of Music (2019)
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THE OFFICIAL STATEMENT ON THE POSTPONEMENT OF THE KRAKOW FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL FOR 25-30 MAY 2021
Dear Fans, Artists, Partners, Friends and Volunteers!
The international community is being confronted with one of the biggest global challenges, which is the struggle to control the COVID-19 pandemic. We are being put through a test of our solidarity and ability to cooperate. We are constantly analysing all the information, monitoring the situation and cooperating with the services.
We would like to express solidarity with all those who have been directly and indirectly affected by the pandemic and with those who help others by putting their lives and health at risk. We wish to join our thoughts with representatives of the cultural sector, festivals, creators, artists, as well as with all our partners and subcontractors, to whom the current times are also those of great professional uncertainty.
We have thoroughly analyzed the risks associated with the organization of the Krakow Film Music Festival in May 2020. Due to the relatively short time to its implementation, we have made the only decision possible, which is to move the festival and the realisation of the planned program to 25-30 May 2021.
„While the programme of the festival is perfect in every detail, and the tickets for most of the concerts are sold out, the realisation of FMF unfortunately will not be possible this year. Considering the impossibility to predict the end of the pandemic and not knowing how long it will take to resolve its effects, we will not be able to finalise the festival as planned in 2020. The festival must be, above all, a safe and joyful experience for everyone, including those who attend it from outside Krakow. Out of concern for our FMF community and their safety, as well as the highest quality of the festival itself, which the Krakow Festival Office and RMF Classic teams joined forces to take care of, we have decided to postpone this great international celebration of film music." – Izabela Helbin, Director of the Krakow Festival Office, the organiser of FMF.
Krakow Film Music Festival is a complex structure of several dozen of musical projects, compositions, premiered suites and other symphonic forms that are created especially for its audience. It is also a powerful production, advanced in the sphere of using the latest technologies and stage technique, as well as organizing the audience and ensuring their safety. Such large and rich in logistics projects for tens of thousands of people, in the face of the dangers of the COVID-19 pandemic, are not feasible at the last minute and at any given time. They require multiple months of preparation in the group of several hundred people.
“As a festival, we have experienced many unpredictable moments in the past. There were financial difficulties, the spectre of canceling one of the events, natural disasters: floods or storms. Therefore, we can say that we are battle-hardened in facing the most difficult challenges. Each time we were able to respond in time, and you supported our efforts. Your gratitude and loyalty have been and still are the greatest reward for us. However, we are not able to meet the current crisis. Being aware of the great impact FMF has on you – the fans – we cannot sit on this decision any longer. We have started discussions with all the artists involved in the 13th edition to confirm their availability next year. We strive to implement the entire planned programme and we certainly want to strengthen it with additional ideas about which we will keep you informed. What is more, we have already started working on the online version of FMF.” – Robert Piaskowski, Artistic Director of the Krakow Film Music Festival.
Our discussions with the artists are still in progress, yet at this point we can ensure that we are moving the entire festival’s programme to 2021 with one exception – Stranger Things show, in which case the confirmation remains yet an unresolved issue. We will keep you updated on the consecutive confirmations of the artists. However, this year we have a surprise for you in the teeth of this situation – the 13th FMF online which will take place in May via our Facebook and RMF Classic. According to the plan, the 'Polish Soundtrack of the Year 2019' and 'FMF Young Talent Award 2020' competitions will be resolved there. The winners will perform their award-winning suites during the 14th FMF in 2021. Unfortunately, we are forced to postpone granting of both, the Kilar Award and the FMF Ambassador Award for next year.
„Although we will not be able to meet in concert halls or clubs, we will do everything we can to prepare a kind of compensation to our viewers and listeners. We can already assure you that we will not let you forget about FMF in May. At RMF CLASSIC, we will reminisce about the most beautiful moments of the festival and return to its unique atmosphere, each year brought together by the people who are in love with the sound of good cinema. Details are coming soon which is why I would like to encourage you to follow FMF and RMF CLASSIC social media profiles and listen to us both traditionally and online.” – Magdalena Wojewoda-Mleczko, Music Director of RMF Classic.
A great community of loyal fans has been created around the Krakow Film Music Festival in the last several years. Knowing how important FMF is to you, we can assure you that we will do everything to make the 2021 edition match your wildest expectations and dreams. We wish health to you and your loved ones. At the same time, we join the #stayhome appeal and, by the same token, encourage you to you contact us in the virtual space. Let the film music live on as long as it is listened to.
Let us be together now and next year #togetherwithFMF.
Organisers and FMF staff
RULES FOR RETURNING TICKETS AND PASSES FOR THE KRAKOW FILM MUSIC FESTIVAL (26 MAY-1 JUNE 2020)
TICKETS AND PASSES PURCHASED VIA EVENTIM.PL OR WWW.BIUROFESTIWALOWE.PL/BILETY
In case of tickets and passes purchased via Eventim.pl, you will receive an e-mail message concerning ticket returns.
TICKETS AND PASSES PURCHASED AT EVENTIM TICKET OFFICES
Tickets and passes may only be returned at the very same office where it was purchased.
TICKETS AND PASSES PURCHASED AT INFOKRAKÓW INFORMATION POINTS
Please bear in mind that tickets and pass returns at any InfoKraków information point are suspended until further notice due to the temporary closure of all InfoKraków information points.
Given the current circumstances, refunds of tickets and passes will be available within 6 months from the date of the planned event. The deadline for returning your tickets may be extended further.
You will find information concerning the issue at http://infokrakow.pl/punkty-infokrakow and http://www.biurofestiwalowe.pl.
All the questions concerning returning tickets and passes purchased at any of the InfoKraków information points can be submitted to: bilety@infokrakow.pl. You may also call: +48 12 354 27 23 from 12:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
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Films and TV series that we all love, music that moves, entertains and sometimes even frightens, and all of that with world-famous composers. The 13th FMF is shaping up to be a spectacular event. This year, the festival is going to welcome a number of big names from the directing world – including Jerzy Hoffman, as well as from the music world, with John Powell joining us in Krakow. The upcoming edition of the festival is going to enthral audiences with its new venues – the roof of Galeria Kazimierz will host a dance party featuring songs from Martin Scorsese’s films, and the Forum Hotel will give us an opportunity to have fun while listening to the synthesiser sounds of the soundtrack to Stranger Things, while Tauron Arena Kraków will offer the music from American Horror Story and Vikings. The 2020 FMF starts on 26 May!
The 13th Krakow Film Music Festival could not do without Jerzy Hoffman – a director called “the Great Hetman of Polish cinema” by critics and journalists, the creator of legendary adaptations of all three parts of Henryk Sienkiewicz’s Trilogy. On 27 May, ICE Kraków will resound with one of the greatest hits of film music in Poland – “Dumka na dwa serca,” which promoted the theatrical release of With Fire and Sword. The upcoming edition of the Scoring4Polish Directors series will also feature music from Leper, including Wojciech Kilar’s “Waltz”, which has been performed many times in Krakow, as well as compositions by Krzysztof Komeda from The Law and the Fist, Piotr Marczewski from The Quack, Andrzej Markowski from Pan Wołodyjowski, and Kazimierz Serocki from The Deluge. The second part of the evening will feature works by contemporary Polish composers, including Łukasz Targosz, Maciej Zieliński and Leszek Możdżer.
Before this happens, on Tuesday, 26 May we are going to invite our audiences to the St Stanislaus Kostka in Dębniki. This year’s edition of Cinema Chorale series, pianist Aleksander Dębicz is going to present his original compositions inspired by the music from Blade Runner 2049, If Beale Street Could Talk and Interstellar. The young musician will be accompanied by the Pro Musica Mundi choir, and the concert will also feature pieces from The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers and Edward Scissorhands.
This year’s festival also offers two unforgettable dance events. First, Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein, composers of music for the TV series Stranger Things, will take the FMF audience to a true 1980s dance party. The old-school synth sounds and a light show pulsating to the rhythm of the music will fill the ballroom interiors of the Brutalist Forum Hotel, which still remember the parties of the late communist era. On the very next day, we are going to get really high – the roof of Galeria Kazimierz will turn into a dance floor illuminated with disco lights, filled with dance music from the 50s, 60s and 70s. After the acclaimed concert of music from Quentin Tarantino’s films, this year’s Dance2Cinema will feature Martin Scorsese, who is known for using his favourite songs from his youth in his films. On Thursday, 28 May you will also have an opportunity to calm down between the two dance-filled days, with the atmospheric, intimate and electronic edition of the Cinematic Piano series at ICE Kraków.
On 30 May, join us for the second time in the history of FMF to take part in an emotional concert of music from the most popular TV series. The TV Series Gala at Tauron Arena Kraków will ensure some thrills with American Horror Story, tension with Chernobyl, as well as some fun with Stranger Things. Among the composers who accepted our invitation are Martin Phipps, Trevor Morris, Hauschka and Mac Quayle.
The finale concert of the 2020 FMF will be a true cherry on top of the festival cake – on 31 May, we will have an opportunity to listen to the long-awaited monographic concert The Music of John Powell. At the FMF’s request, the composer will personally select and prepare works from his Oscar, Grammy and BAFTA winning oeuvre. The musicians from the Polish Radio Choir and the Beethoven Academy Orchestra will be led by Gavin Greenaway, Powell’s friend and a conductor, who is already familiar to the FMF audiences from previous editions. The concert will also feature some special guests. The evening programme will feature music from the How to Train Your Dragon animated trilogy, Han Solo: A Star Wars Story,as well as Two Weeks Notice.
The FMF will conclude on 1 June with a traditional outdoor film screening in the Powiśle district.
