„The Wind which took away winter from us” is a title of a field recording album released 1st January 2024. It includes 4 tracks recorded 24th and 25th December of 2023.
The title of this piece refers to album from 2018 „The Wind which brought us winter”. Below a player there is a text explaining under which circumstances these tracks were recorded. Enjoy!
Equipment used: Rode NTG-5, Usi Pro, Rycote Cyclone Medium, Sound Devices MixPre-6 I
About “Wiatr, który zabrał nam zimę I” and “Wiatr, który zabrał nam zimę II”
This year I spent Christmas Eve at my family house. In 2018, in the same house, which was uninhabited then, I recorded „The Wind which brought us winter”. In 2023, after Christmas Eve dinner, I went out to get some fresh air. The recordings titled “The Wind which took away winter from us I and II” were made nearby the house. Heavy water was falling from the gutters and strong wind was blowing.
The morning of December 24, 2023 greeted us with winter like something out of an advertising catalogue. It snowed heavily all night long. There was 30 cm of snow on the driveway. Reluctantly, I went out to shovel the snow from the driveway. Water was dripping from the attic roofs into the gutters, and there was slush on the main road. Strong wind was blowing. Thaw. The same snow that fell overnight disappeared completely in just 24 hours. Oh you, unfortunate tourists who came for the winter holidays to experience true winter scenery! Ladies and Gentlemen: I’d like to inform you: this is what the winter scenery looks like: capricious, windy, muddy, wet. We don’t deserve any better. Go back home.
About “Przedsionek Kościoła pw. świętej Anny w Zębie na pół godziny przed pasterką”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pasterka
I offered to a highlander song and dance ensemble I used to be a member of, that I’d gladly record carols they had prepared for this year’s midnight mass (Pasterka). I got consent. I arrived at Saint Anna in Ząb much too early. I entered the open vestibule, which impresses with its rawness of boards, large volume and general asceticism. In fact, the only decoration in the room is a large, long-uncleaned painting of Christ pointing to his heart. Or maybe it’s the late hour and sparse light that make the image appear brownish-gray? Oh, and there is also a stoup, impressive with the craftsmanship of local carvers, but it is not as ambiguous as the painting hanging above the entrance to the main nave.
While waiting for the organist to open the choir, I sat down on one of only a few benches in this place. You could constantly hear the furnace blowing warm air around the church. Every now and then someone opened the door and it closed with a bang due to the draft. There was wind outside, you can hear it at some points in the recording.
People started to gather. Young boys who, after midnight mass, wanted to leave the temple as quickly as possible and go to the podłazy – the traditional walk to girls’ houses – decided to stay in the vestibule. Advent is over, wooing can begin. Members of the highlander ensemble, singers and musicians all in traditional folk costumes began to gather together. The whispers became more and more significant. Encouraged by the growing crowd, the herd began to whisper thicker and louder. I cut out a fragment of the conversation from this recording. I felt that publishing this exchange would be an invasion of privacy. In the deleted fragment, the musicians – young lads were planning to play at an inn. After Christmas, the tourist season is in full swing and you need to earn money.
The mechanism that set the bells in motion groaned. The bell tower is separated from the vestibule only by the thin ceiling boarding, so you could immediately hear the loud bells. Midnight Mass starts in half an hour. The organist came and opened the choir door. It’s time to start working.
About “Wiatr, który zabrał nam zimę III”
I was returning from midnight mass through Gubałówka. Gubałówka is a high hill nearby town Zakopane known for its breathtaking views and uncontrolled tourism. I knew that at night, in the middle of the storm, I would not find any people there, only the wind crashing into the constructions of the tourist industry. I hid under the roof of a restaurant which, according to reviews, is considered very expensive and serves tasteless food. The wind blew up PVC banner foils and awnings. The wind whistled between stalls selling souvenirs, curly potatoes, and kürtőskalács . But soon I left these unusual noises behind me. I chose the comfort of a warm bed.