Wiedzmin
Grzegorz Ciechowski
" Mezzo-soprano Alicja Wegorzewska is just wonderful "Written by Joep de Bruijn - Review of the regular release
Wiedźmin is a 2001 Polish film directed by Marek Brodzk and for the music Grzegorz Ciechowski was sought out to compose the score. The film, reshaped into a TV series one year later, is based on The Witcher book series by fantasy writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Neither of them was received well, unlike the game series that would follow some time later. It´s worth mentioning that the scores for these games, by composers like Marcin Przybyłowicz Adam Skorupa, Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz and Paweł Blaszczak, show similarities to the score to Wiedźmin and come recommended.
Grzegorz Ciechowski was the leader of the hugely popular band Republika, a musical icon on domestic grounds. What I find remarkable is how clearly Ciechowski does not know how to write an actual score, as many cues are almost duplicates of each other with little progression, with more emphasis on a mystic atmosphere than anything else. Clearly, this reveals the composer´ lack to look beyond the song structure he has used for ages. Mezzo-soprano Alicja Wegorzewska is just wonderful, but her singing in the opening track Wiedźmin is mostly an identical copy and paste onto other cues. If you are willing to accept a lack of variety, you might enjoy the mood-crafting the composer establishes. Almost all compositions are based on the same rhythm of percussion, aided by a female and medieval male vocals, ethnic instruments (similarto the band Desorient contributions to scores by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek and Michał Lorenc), other solo instruments and synthesizers. It carries a musical signature that ties in with the general sound of a world of epic fantasy, but it certainly is more for the acquired taste.
The composer wrote a few songs, that are repeated in similar versions, some shorter, some longer. These pieces are like troubadour songs sung by actor Zbigniew Zamachowski, and while each has lyrics that are accompanied by musical instruments that sort of tie in with the sound of the score, they are not very interesting. The final tracks adds a more pop-like flavour to one of his songs (performed by Robert Gawliński), which is much worse. I kind of like this troubadour approach, regardless if I really like each of the songs.
At the time, I was quite impressed by the music, though not because of its composition qualities, but more the overall sound and mood. The musical palette is a great combination of traditional and synthesizer elements, with old and exotic instruments, molded into a rich mystique sound that fits such a fantasy world. And this still makes the score to Wiedźmin a good listen.
Tracklist
1. „Wiedzmin” 5:01
2. „Pocałunek Yennefer” 2:08
3. „Zew wilka” 2:54
4. „Pierwsza rada Jaskra” 0:48
5. „Oniria” 2:08
6. „Lawina” 2:06
7. „Sen Yen” 2:12
8. „Druga rada Jaskra” 1:09
9. „Odnajdę cię, Ciri” 5:11
10. „Uciekajcie!” 0:44
11. „Trzecia rada Jaskra” 0:41
12. „Koniec z bandą Renfri” 2:04
13. „Jak gwiazdy nad traktem” 1:48
14. „Śmierć Renfri” 0:44
15. „Bajka dla małej driady” 2:08
16. „Leczenie ran” 1:45
17. „Karczma w Blaviken” 0:25
18. „Zapachniało jesienią” 1:27
19. „Ballada dla Yen” 1:03
20. „Czwarta rada Jaskra” 2:05
21. „Ratuj, Wiedźminie” 3:22
22. „Nie pokonasz miłości” 3:40
Total duration: 45:33
(written 29-09-2019)
Grzegorz Ciechowski was the leader of the hugely popular band Republika, a musical icon on domestic grounds. What I find remarkable is how clearly Ciechowski does not know how to write an actual score, as many cues are almost duplicates of each other with little progression, with more emphasis on a mystic atmosphere than anything else. Clearly, this reveals the composer´ lack to look beyond the song structure he has used for ages. Mezzo-soprano Alicja Wegorzewska is just wonderful, but her singing in the opening track Wiedźmin is mostly an identical copy and paste onto other cues. If you are willing to accept a lack of variety, you might enjoy the mood-crafting the composer establishes. Almost all compositions are based on the same rhythm of percussion, aided by a female and medieval male vocals, ethnic instruments (similarto the band Desorient contributions to scores by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek and Michał Lorenc), other solo instruments and synthesizers. It carries a musical signature that ties in with the general sound of a world of epic fantasy, but it certainly is more for the acquired taste.
The composer wrote a few songs, that are repeated in similar versions, some shorter, some longer. These pieces are like troubadour songs sung by actor Zbigniew Zamachowski, and while each has lyrics that are accompanied by musical instruments that sort of tie in with the sound of the score, they are not very interesting. The final tracks adds a more pop-like flavour to one of his songs (performed by Robert Gawliński), which is much worse. I kind of like this troubadour approach, regardless if I really like each of the songs.
At the time, I was quite impressed by the music, though not because of its composition qualities, but more the overall sound and mood. The musical palette is a great combination of traditional and synthesizer elements, with old and exotic instruments, molded into a rich mystique sound that fits such a fantasy world. And this still makes the score to Wiedźmin a good listen.
Tracklist
1. „Wiedzmin” 5:01
2. „Pocałunek Yennefer” 2:08
3. „Zew wilka” 2:54
4. „Pierwsza rada Jaskra” 0:48
5. „Oniria” 2:08
6. „Lawina” 2:06
7. „Sen Yen” 2:12
8. „Druga rada Jaskra” 1:09
9. „Odnajdę cię, Ciri” 5:11
10. „Uciekajcie!” 0:44
11. „Trzecia rada Jaskra” 0:41
12. „Koniec z bandą Renfri” 2:04
13. „Jak gwiazdy nad traktem” 1:48
14. „Śmierć Renfri” 0:44
15. „Bajka dla małej driady” 2:08
16. „Leczenie ran” 1:45
17. „Karczma w Blaviken” 0:25
18. „Zapachniało jesienią” 1:27
19. „Ballada dla Yen” 1:03
20. „Czwarta rada Jaskra” 2:05
21. „Ratuj, Wiedźminie” 3:22
22. „Nie pokonasz miłości” 3:40
Total duration: 45:33
(written 29-09-2019)