Great hit of the hero of Polański's The Pianist: H. Brzezińska - Straciłam twe serce, 1938

Hanna Brzezińska & Ork. Odeon - Straciłam twe serce (I Lost Your Heart) walc angielski z f-mu "Wrzos" (English waltz from movie "A Heather") (Muz. Władysław Szpilman, Tekst: Ludwik Starski) Odeon 1938 (Poland)

NOTE: I got this rare recording (regretfully in rather poor shape) from one of YT viewers. I did my best to revive it, for not only it is a stunning tune, but not less fascinating is the story connected to it.

Hanna BRZ EZIŃSKA (nee Anna Brzezińska) Polish film actress and singer in 1930s, daughter of Wacław Brzeziński, European famous baritone and professor of many excellent singers, in than number - the world-class tenor Jan Kiepura. She was born in 1909 in Warsaw. In 1934 she completed studies in the Institute Of Drama and debuted in the National Theatre in Warsaw. Yet her stunning beauty, her musicality and a fascinating low voice -- very much in fashion in these days -- quickly opened for her avenue to a film career. After a couple of minor roles, her star gleamed in role of baroness Cecilia in the movie "Wrzos" (1938) where Brzezinska gave a breathtaking interpretation of two songs composed for her by Władysław Szpilman: tango "Nie ma szczęścia bez miłości" (There's No Happiness Without Love) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3aJTNY0qVjQ and a haunting English waltz "Straciłam twe serce" (Your Heart Is Lost For Me). It was a beginning of her grand but very short career. In 1938 after Mieczysław Fogg left the revellers' group Chór Dana, Hanka and her brother Wacław Brzeziński Jr were invited to join. This meant for her a way to the top of the show byz in prewar Warsaw. She recorded four sides for "Odeon", including temperamental Polish version of Imperio Argentina's tango Pianta d'Aca (The Last Smile) and a jazzy blues "Johnny & Jo". She was in the group of Polish actors visiting the US and performing for the NYC broadcast in 1938. All this ended in September, 1939. Through the whole 2nd World War she stayed in Warsaw where she gave clandestine concerts and also took part in Warsaw Uprising of 1944 (she was one of the few who survived the explosion of a German tank trap, with several hundred killed in Kiliński St. on 13th August, 1944). However, she also had episode of collaborating with nazi-administered revue theatre „Maska" -- which was one of German-propaganda stages subject to boycott by most of the actors of Warsaw. Therefore, after 1945 she was not allowed to perform in Warsaw and performed merely in the Old Theatre in Cracow. In the 1960s she returned to Warsaw where she was offered a job in Classical Theatre...as a prompter. In 1960s she recorded some prewar songs for the Polish Radio and occassionally appeared in a broadcast program: Tea-Time With A Microphone. Two years before her death, in 1996 she was awarded a City Of Warsaw Prize.

Władysław SZPILMAN (b.1911 in Sosnowiec, d. 2000 in Warsaw) -- piano virtuose and composer. He studied piano in Warsaw Conservatory, in 1931 he got scholarship for studies in Berlin where he studied with Arthur Schnabel and a Polish violin virtuose, Bronisław Gimpel. However, the victory of National Socialist Party in 1933 made him cease his stay in Germany and return to Poland. In 1935 he got permanent engagement at the Polish Broadcast in Warsaw as presenter of piano music masterpieces in educational programs. He also gave public concerts and continued his hobby - composing popular tunes for radio and cabarets. Ironically, such was the beginning of his high public recognition in Poland: not classical music, but his "schlagers", and in this number two hilarious hits sung by Hanka Brzezińska in the movie "Wrzos" (A Heather) in 1938.
Simiralily to Hanna Brzezińska, Szpilman's career abruptly ended in September 1939, when German bombs hit the buildings of the Warsaw Power House destroying in its neighborhood the Polish Radio studios. In next year, he and his family found themselves in so-called Jewish Ghetto of Warsaw -- a nazi-established Jewish district of Warsaw, where Polish citizens of the Jewish origin were concentrated before their extermination in the German anihilation camps. Szpilman's family was executed in Treblinka, while he -- pulled out from the transport by one of Jewish policemen, who recognized him - survived the desctruction of the Ghetto area as well as one year later - the end of the capital of Poland during the Warsaw Uprising of August-October 1944. Szpilman's life - especially his Ghetto years and the survival in destroyed and deserted city during last months of the Second World War - became canvas for Roman Polański Oscar-winner movie "The Pianist" (2002) with a fabulous performance of Adrien Brody in role of the composer.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Poland
• Thirties
• 1930s
• music
• film
• Polska
• międzywojenna
• Warszawa
• przedwojenna
• lata
• trzydzieste
• stare
• piosenki
• pre-war
• Warsaw
• ghetto
• Roman
• Polański
• Szpilman
• The
• Pianist
• Pianista
• Andrien
• Brody
• 78rpm
• old
• gramophone
• record
• shellac
• płyty
• gramofonowe

[tango3721]

Hello Grzegorz - Ms Brzezinska has a splendid mezzosoprano voice whic renders her delivery of this good song - very excellent. Your commentary - super good - as always. Thanks whole bunch and have a geat Sunday!

[240252]

@tango3721 Thanks Lana, Brzezińska is one of those "wasted great talents" that are so many in Polish history. Sometimes I think, Poland and Ireland are twin nations - they both have always been the hatcheries of geniuses who then emigrated to other places in the world, where their talents had to be re-explored and appreciated. Brzezińska should have stayed in NYC, when she was visiting American broadcast studios, in 1938

[dzheger]

Enchanting waltz and an attractive unique voice. Szpilman's book and Polanski's movie are fascinating. Sorry to read about Brzezinska's lapse during the war which cost her her post-war career.

[240252]

@dzheger Dear D., See my little comment I just mailed to Genia about The Pianist. I saw that movie perhaps 3 or 4 times and I think, Brody's performance is a masterpiece.

[barbcard]

Great melody, great movie, great book. And that simultaneously terrible yet beautiful rescue! Don't know if Adrien Brody has made any movies since The Pianist. Do you?

[240252]

@barbcard I see, D. has just answered your question. Brody has been contracted for new releases two years in advance, until 2013 or 13, I think. His list of movies, especially after the enormous success of The Pianist, is very long. If you google his name, you can check his filmography. For me, he is one of the best actors of his generation available in the film market.

[paulostroff99]

Awesome! TY for posting.

[1920sbuff]

Wonderful, quite haunting performance - and thank you especially this time for the comprehensive notes!

[altobiotero]

@240252 Hi Gz... Brody has a film about spanish bullfighter "Manolete"... He's a clon(not clown) of the Spaniard, but rarely seen in Spain... I love his character in Spike Lee's "Summer of Sam"... Kss and go on with ur fine art and Knowledge... Sorry for russian comments bout plane disaster( if u dislike...) :(

[240252]

@genia106 Oh, you simply MUST see that movie! I am not the fan of the way Polanski showed the first days of so called "freedom" in Poland in January 1945 - the new occupation of Poland by the Soviets has not been even touched by him. Yet, the war and Ghetto story is breathtaking. And Brody... mmmm, just delicatessen!

[genia106]

Grzegorz My Friend,

Would you believe I did not see the Pianist?....I will...I love the song and your story.

Absolutely beautiful.

It took me about 2 years to see Schindler's list...everyone told me it wasn't one of those movies that was HORROR and finally I saw it and it was so inspiring....There is faith still in Human Nature. Thank you for this lovely music. A million STARS.

[dzheger]

@barbcard Hi B. The IMDB site lists quite a few movies Brody made since The Pianist.