Zbigniew Preisner
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It’s time. It’s time I do a dedicated thread on one of my absolute favourite composers of all time, a breakaway from the “Polish film music?” thread.
I didn’t latch on to him at first. In the 90s, he was a presence in the corner of my eye. I loved THE SECRET GARDEN, I watched DEKALOG with my mom when it was shown on Norwegian TV in the early 90s, I checked out a few albums. But it was too slow, too ambient, too “European” for an impatient kid weaned on Hollywood action film music.
But that all changed in the late 2000s. Now Preisner was DA SHIT. Often slow, spacey, ethereal, gorgeous….just perfect. And it’s stuck ever since.
I have loads of Preisner albums ahead of me now. Looking forward to it! What’s your relationship to this composer — IMO the greatest living European film composer who lives and works in Europe?
I think my first encounter was the COLORS trilogy, specially BLUE I liked a lot as the music such a specific integral part. I generally like him but I am not directly a fan.
Valley Of Shadows is 👍
Yup. My alltime favourite of his as well.
I think my first encounter was the COLORS trilogy, specially BLUE I liked a lot as the music such a specific integral part. I generally like him but I am not directly a fan.
Big crossover appeal with that trilogy, especially BLUE where music plays a central part of the story. I love the films dearly, and their scores, but not necessarily in my top 5.
The earliest Preisner score I own, from 1990. Both scores display that mournful style, with those aching strings, flutes and brass statements he does so well.
This however, from 1991, IS in my top 5 Preisner, I think. I talked about my nostalgic connection to the Kieslowski series earlier, but the music is a big part of that. Probably the most aching of Preisner’s aching flutes in this. Chilly and piercing, but gorgeous.
Hmmm….actually, I had intended to have a messageboard walkthrough again, a la the Vangelis one, as I listen my way through my Preisners. But I’m gonna stop it right there. As Malte is always sure to remind me, I should save some stuff for the main site. So I’m gonna save the rest for a possible Preisner filmography at some point.
But let’s discuss his work freely and casually! 😀
An interesting aspect of his filmography is that he’s scored TWO films by Norwegian director Hans Petter Moland (ABERDEEN and THE BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY). And Moland is my neighbour. In fact, I’m looking right over at his house as I’m writing this.
Oh, and while I’ve never met Preisner “in the flesh”, I did do a Q&A with him at a festival a couple of years ago. But he was with us via the cinema screen, from his holiday house in Greece, I think. Here’s a snap someone took of that event:
Not on film music, sadly. I did a short enquete with him in a magazine issue about ‘debut films’ a couple of years ago, in his case SECONDLØITNANTEN (1993). Just two questions, nothing on film music. Would be interesting at some point.
Yes, the remake of KRAFTIDIOTEN. Not terribly exciting. The Kåre Vestrheim score for the original is better. But the best score to a Moland film remains KJÆRLIGHETENS KJØTERE by Terje Rypdal, even ahead of the Preisner ones, IMO.
I was aware of Preisner of course in the 90s through films like DAMAGE and THE SECRET GARDEN. But what really put Preisner on the map for me was At Play in the Fields of the Lord, a wonderful (at least that’s what I think) epic movie with a beautiful movie score. The movie was produced by Saul Zaentz (who always strived for excellence in his productions), but must hang in some nightmarish rights limbo, because even though it was a well crafted (by Hector Babenco) movie with considerable star power (Tom Berenger, John Lithgow, Kathy Bates, Darryl Hannah, Tom Waits, Aidan Quinn) it has been curiously absent from home video for most of its life. Hardly anyone knows about this movie, let alone have seen it. It’s never even been released on Bluray, though it’s certainly worthy of a 4K restauration (I saw it in its theatrical run, I remember it as a quite beautiful movie).
Anyway, Preisner composed that score, and it took me quite a while to fill that gap in my soundtrack collection. I finally managed a few years ago to obtain a copy.KJÆRLIGHETENS KJØTERE…I remember that one because it’s the only film I ever saw in the smallest room (“Småen”) at the theater back in 95. Rypdal’s score was decent.
Knowing virtually all, Bez Końca remains my most personal effort, including a lot of his DNA earlier on:
Knowing virtually all, Bez Końca remains my most personal effort, including a lot of his DNA earlier on:
Thanks for the heads-up. Embarassingly, I’ve never seen that one, the first Kieslowski/Preisner collaboration (and it’s obviously not had a soundtrack release either, as you point out in your review). I’ve always wanted to, as well as PRZYPADEK (1981/1987), where Kieslowski worked with Wojciech Kilar, no less. BEZ KONCA appears to have a “local” Polish Blu-ray release, but I’m not aware of any streaming options.
Listening again to his FOOLISH HEART (1998) now, which Caldera recently released. It’s a fine score, no question about it, but calling it “Fourth Film Music Symphony” is a bit overkill from Preisner, I think. It doesn’t feel like it belongs in the upper echelon of his works.
I really enjoy Caldera’s Man of God CD release which I picked up cheap during on of Stephan Eicke’s eBay sales – I have a few more of the Preisner CAldera albums that I have not played and also bought for quite cheap. I will dig them out and give them a spin. I will have to double check which ones I have kicking around. I will probably grab some more if Stephan ever does another eBay sale – the prices are perfect. Really impressed with Caldera’s output the past few years and really enjoyed his book, the Struggle behind the Soundtrack.
I have only a handful Caldera albums so far (none by Preisner so far) but for sure an great label – and even from here, getting “patriotic” 😉 – that digs out interesting things.
Just looked, I have three Preisner albums digitally only:
– The live “best of” album from 1995 with excerpts from Dekalog, Three colors and others.
– The Secret Garden
– Requiem for my friendCaldera is my favourite label, and has been so for a while (along with Mikael Carlsson’s Moviescore Media). That they’re championing the work of Preisner is of course a large part of that. But also their whole ‘arranged for listening’ approach, as well as their choice of titles.
Listening to one of the Caldera/Preisners right now, in fact, the wonderful A HISTÒRIA DA ETERNIDADE, which I reviewed here.
Sincce they are from Germany the CD prices are pretty okay, sadly they are strictly not available digitally. Btw in case unknown, they belong to the same parent company as Alhambra. (assidenote the Tsunami label actually did, too ;-)).
Just see that my public library streaming service has at least two Preisners:
– A Beautiful Country
– La Reina de EspanaPut them on my “short” playlist for sometime later.
(along with Mikael Carlsson’s Moviescore Media).
Yes, also great, although I have a handful of its albums in any form. Simply too obscure often.
The more obscure, the better! 😉
A topic on favourite soundtrack labels is a good idea, by the way. I’m not going to do it, because I post too much here already, but someone else should.
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