Autumn 1981
Henryk Tomaszewski Pantomime Theatre, Gordon Giltrap and King Arthur
The autumn of 1981 in Poland was a strange time... The then communist regime was taking a hard line towards the Solidarity and our short spell of freedom was coming to a bitter end (martial law introduced on 13 December 1981). I was 18 and in the final class of the high school − before me and my friends there were the final examinations and the university (or an army service). One day someone was talking with excitement about a play he saw at the theatre − the title was „The Knights of King Arthur” and it was a pantomime, but in no way a classic one. It had rich costumes, great music. So, more people got curious and we bought tickets for the next performance. I got so impressed with this play, that all in all I saw it about five times during a decade when it was staged (about once every two years) when the Wroclaw Pantomime Theatre would come back from another world tour and grace their own town with some performance.
Music was very important: it created the mood and was so well suited to the scenes that it was almost incredible that it was not composed for purpose!
The music of the following composers was used (and is listed in the leaflet in this order): Gordon Giltrap, Johann Nepomuk Hummel, Richard Wagner and Bogdan Dominik.
And how it would sound! In a dark theatre, played loud and from professional HiFi equipment. Just imagine Lucifer’s Cage, Revelation - full band version! It was sending shivers down my spine − and the scene was involving Mordred and his not very pleasant doings. And so much more...
So the play and the music was about love, heroes, human lives. It was dramatic, touching deep feelings. It has stayed with me since then, but for a long time I had no idea whose music was the one that I loved the most − I could be sure it was too modern for Wagner or Hummel (that one sounds old too), but who were Dominik and Giltrap?
Once, in mid-1980s the play was shown on TV. We were at a party and I knew that it will be on our channel 2. The girl whose home was a “victim” of our meeting had some cassettes that I lent her, so I thought maybe I could tape the music (video was not a common thing at that time). The sound from TV’s channel 2 was possible to catch on the radio, so I tried. Nothing. Then my friend from the Technical University came to action, and we changed cables to improve the recording abilities of the stereo system of poor Malgorzata (I still have this old cassette with fragments of the music).
How did I know it was Gordon Giltrap? The Internet is the answer! Anyway, how was it possible without it before...
Several years ago I found a site where it was possible to purchase Gordon’s records and also listen to samples. Then I learned that my all time favourites come from Visionary (Gordon sent me a signed copy of Visionary several years ago!).
Oh yes, the topic was about live performance. I have not seen Gordon live yet, but I often listen to the CD As it Happens
, and ... I have two tickets for 16 September in St. Ives, so...
till then
Piotr