Modernist chamber music from Paweł Szamburski on Długo, długo nic, a potem wszystko (ROPE WORM RW5) – a title which translates into English as “Nothing for a long time, and then everything”. Right away we have the feeling we’re in for something with a good deal of portent and meaning, and the seven stages in this suite – with titles such as ‘Turbulence’, ‘Storm’ and ‘Farewell’ – confirm the serious intent. Indeed the titles tell their own mini-saga, with the storm placed at the centre of the work, but those of a gloomy bent can take heart as all the implied chaos is followed by 5:28 mins of ‘Order’.
Długo is performed by the chamber orchestra of Tychy (AUKSO), but the record is also a vehicle for Szamburski’s clarinet solos, to the extent that he often seems to be carrying much of the work on his own shoulders. While he can summon a gloomy mood, he can also be dramatic and florid; some passages of music (clarinet and fiddles in lively hopping mode) here make me wonder if he’s attempting an avant-garde mazurka record, much like Radical Polish Ansambl or Cezary Duchnowski who we heard on Bolt Records some years ago. Długo, długo nic, a potem wszystko is an interesting composition, but somehow feels a bit flat and stagey in its more prosaic sections, and despite all the prophecies of doom uttered in musical terms, the promised “storm” doesn’t actually seem to be delivered. (31/03/2026)