The Magic of the Poles

[greg]

See how superb this is?  I haven't met ANYBODY in Glasgow yet with whom I can discuss Lutoslawski.  It's fantastic when someone says something like the above.

I doubt Greta knows anybody in Texas with whom she can have a conversation about Lutoslawski.
I can just imagine...... "who? Coleslaw?"

[Maciek]

Anyone ever seen the Zanussi documentary about Lutosławski (made for the BBC of course - the Polish TV didn't need one )?





No? I didn't think so.

It starts in Warsaw, with the film crew "on the streets" asking random people if they knew who Lutosławski was. All they get in reply is: Huh? Then they happen to stop some British guy coming out of the Warsaw Airport - and he knows! (I think it was shot in the 80s but don't remember exactly.)

[greg]

 
so "the streets" were in Poland, and the British guy knew? lol
probably would be even worse with Swedish composers...

[Maciek]

so "the streets" were in Poland, and the British guy knew? lol

Yep, forgot to mention that - I'll add it to my description (of course, the British guy spoke in English ).

[mahler10th]

Anyone ever seen the Zanussi documentary about Lutosławski (made for the BBC of course - the Polish TV didn't need one )?

I would very much like to see that.  I want to know about that man who has the temerity to alter my brain patterns and kick my ass before leaving me in a confused but wondered state.





No? I didn't think so.

It starts in Warsaw, with the film crew "on the streets" asking random people if they knew who Lutosławski was. All they get in reply is: Huh? Then they happen to stop some British guy coming out of the Warsaw Airport - and he knows! (I think it was shot in the 80s but don't remember exactly.)

I would very much like to see that, so I can browse the man who has the ability to alter my brainwaves, kick my ass, and leave me in a state of awe and wonder after he's done it.

[Maciek]

It's very interesting - one of the greatest Polish filmmakers making a film about one of the greatest Polish composers (and privately they were on friendly terms even before the film was made).

Looking through various Polish sources I've managed to find this page, which has all the credits (but they also have that on IMDb). The year given here is 1990, but some other sites also give 1989. The title of the film is Witold Lutoslawski in Conversation with Krzysztof Zanussi (bit odd, shouldn't it be the other way around?). I'm almost certain I had it videotaped once (but it's in Polish!!), and the tape may still be alive, somewhere in my parents' house. Next time I'm there (won't be very soon) I'll take a look around. If I manage to find it, I might try to transfer it to the PC and post it on YouTube - but it will be in Polish, so not much of an attraction.

Another site gives this as the Witold Lutosławski filmography (as himself), I'm leaving out the films where it says "archive footage":
1993:    Outsider czyli portret Romana Maciejewskiego, kompozytora osobnego
1992:    Owoc natchnienia
1990:    Witold Lutosławski w rozmowie z Krzysztofem Zanussim (Witold Lutosławski in conversation with Krzysztof Zanussi)

All of them in Polish, as you can see. The first one (1993) is actually about another great Polish composer: Roman Maciejewski. I'm planning a big blog entry on him one of these days.

IMDb also lists a German film by Zanussi - but, oddly enough, it is exactly the same length as the BBC one, so I think someone needs to use Ockham's razor here...

There's also a 2CD Polish Radio set with the 2nd CD devoted solely to interviews with Lutoslawski (many of them fascinating!).

But again, all in Polish.

And there's that nice book, Postscriptum.

Yes, you guessed it - in Polish!

[mahler10th]

To podobne do JA wola ma być nauczyć się Polski wtedy!

[Maciek]

To podobne do JA wola ma być nauczyć się Polski wtedy!

OK, but aren't you a bit concerned about saying things like that publicly, where everyone can hear...??

[greg]

OK, but aren't you a bit concerned about saying things like that publicly, where everyone can hear...??

i think he insulted my Antarctican culture somewhere in there.......

[Maciek]

It has just dawned on me that what you intended to say might have actually been:

"It looks like I'll have to learn Polish then"

Am I right?

But then, perhaps you wanted to say exactly what you did say...

[mahler10th]

"It looks like I'll have to learn Polish then"
That is what I tried to say.  Have I got it wrong?

[mahler10th]

"It looks like I'll have to learn Polish then"
That is what I tried to say.  Have I got it wrong?

[Maciek]

What you wanted to say is this:

"Wygląda więc na to, że będę się musiał nauczyć polskiego..."


What you actually said is... not fit to print. 0:)

[mahler10th]

What you wanted to say is this:

"Wygląda więc na to, że będę się musiał nauczyć polskiego..."


What you actually said is... not fit to print. 0:)

Online translation services are perhaps like professional Classical Music reviewers.  They tell you what you should say but mean something different altogether.

[Maciek]

OK, enough of the suspense. What you said wasn't actually improper - it was simply garbled nonsense. But once I figured out what the original English sentence was - it turned out to be very funny. Here is what the program did. It took the sentence "It looks like I'll have to learn Polish then" and cut it up like this:

It
looks like
I
will
have
to [be]
[to] learn
Polish
then

And then it translated each word separately, ignoring the context completely:

It = to (literal meaning: 'this')
looks like = podobne do ('is similar to')
I = ja ('I')
will = wola (the noun 'will', as in The World as Will and Representation)
have = ma ('he/she has')
to [be?] = być ('to be')
[to] learn = nauczyć się ('to learn')
Polish = Polski ('of Poland')
then = wtedy ('at that time')

To podobne do JA wola ma być nauczyć się Polski wtedy! = This is similar to I will has to be to learn of Poland at that time!

Until recently I actually worked at a place where the algorithms for these sort of translating programs are prepared but ours was much, much better!

[greg]

OK, enough of the suspense. What you said wasn't actually improper - it was simply garbled nonsense. But once I figured out what the original English sentence was - it turned out to be very funny. Here is what the program did. It took the sentence "It looks like I'll have to learn Polish then" and cut it up like this:

It
looks like
I
will
have
to [be]
[to] learn
Polish
then

And then it translated each word separately, ignoring the context completely:

It = to (literal meaning: 'this')
looks like = podobne do ('is similar to')
I = ja ('I')
will = wola (the noun 'will', as in The World as Will and Representation)
have = ma ('he/she has')
to [be?] = być ('to be')
[to] learn = nauczyć się ('to learn')
Polish = Polski ('of Poland')
then = wtedy ('at that time')

To podobne do JA wola ma być nauczyć się Polski wtedy! = This is similar to I will has to be to learn of Poland at that time!

Until recently I actually worked at a place where the algorithms for these sort of translating programs are prepared but ours was much, much better!

check this out:

http://uncyclopedia.org/wiki/Babel_fish
hehehe

dang...... some of those letters i forgot how to pronounce.

[Maciek]

Hilarious! Better even than the guide of hitch-hiker of the galaxy!

Topping part. Long ago so delightfully not ubawiłem!

[Maciek]

In keeping with my earlier promise, with the help of poltran.com:

I think , if (or) make such small fun in (to) zgadywanie several samples ( ) different polish work mp3. It can be from different epochs, then, century (age) can be from one most eager XX ( ). What on it ?

[Zastanawiam się, czy nie zrobić takiej małej zabawy w zgadywanie: kilka próbek (mp3) różnych polskich utworów. Może być z różnych epok, może być z jednej (wtedy najchętniej XX wiek). Co wy na to?]

[greg]

Well, when robots eventually become influential in the society of the future, at least we know translation jobs will be safe.

[Maciek]

What on it?