Pawel Szamburski - Ceratitis Capitata (2014)

Ceratitis Capitata is a species of fruit fly capable of causing extensive damage to a wide range of fruit crops. It is native to the Mediterranean area. Perhaps it was her distant cousin that flew in one sunny day into a church in Błonie, near Tarnów, where Paweł Szamburski was recording his first solo album. In it, he took on liturgical motifs of the great religions of the Mediterranean Basin, and fed his clarinet the fruits of those sacred musical traditions. His playing, and his work with the instrument, employed references, melodies and expressive traits of Orthodox choirs, Sufi and Jewish music, as well as Bahá'í Faith and Gregorian chant. Akin to the human voice in its timbre and articulation range, the clarinet allowed Szamburski to find an arresting interpretation of the melodies and the songs of various traditions and cultures. Aware of their inherent differences, the artist still set out to explore their deeply rooted similarities and the profound musical and spiritual coherence. Did he do damage? One thing is certain: the fly buzzed loudly but eventually came to terms with the sounds and just sat there, motionless. It let others listen and play, and so there it is—Paweł Szamburski’s first album for solo clarinet, Ceratitis Capitata. It contains five intimate musical statements for clarinet and bass clarinet, all stemming from traditional sacral music. The recordings were done by Piotr Czerny in a church in Błonie, near Tarnów. The cover art was designed by Paweł Ryżko and the album was released, in a limited issue, by Lado ABC.