Third Part Of The Night

Album review

Andrzej Zulawski's Third Part of the Night is considered to be one of the most enticing and unforgettable directorial debuts of the Polish New Wave. Released in 1971, its unforgettable apocalyptic imagery and surrealist symbolism were the first indication of Zulawski's maverick vision and also his long-running working relationship with composer Andrzej Korzynski. Recalling the iconic director/composer relationships of Roman Polanski and Krzysztof Komeda, Dario Argento and Goblin, Zulawski enlisted Korzynski to provide the soundtrack to his uncompromising debut. Korzynski's response was to record a hallucinatory psych record with kaleidoscopic orchestral rock overtures. Featuring only nine tracks, each composition is a symphonic masterpiece, carrying shades of the conceptual jazz and rock influences that Korzynski was listening to at the time. Like the film, this is a radical soundtrack -- especially in 1971 -- bold, fearless, and momentous. It is a credit to Andy Votel's tireless label that Andrzej Korzynski's soundtracks are finally being recognized as being of similar importance to the work of other avant-garde European composers like Jean-Claude Vannier and Alain Goraguer.
© Aneet Nijjar /TiVo