The Piano Congress will feature the documentary film “The soul of a piano” directed by Judyta Fibiger.
Does a piano have a soul? If so, what is it? Is it elusive – or maybe its creator is a piano constructor? One of them was Gustaw Arnold Fibiger, born in Kalisz in 1912. His passion for creating instruments survived even when his family factory was taken away after the war.
Who was he? A Pole with German roots who fought to defend Warsaw, a great patriot, but also the only piano constructor in Poland who led to the development of the music industry in our country.
“The Soul of a Piano” is the story of the Arnold Fibiger Piano Factory, founded in 1889 in Kalisz – the largest Polish piano factory. The documentary will feature unique archival materials showing the nationalized factory, whose name was illegally changed to “Calisia” after the war by the communist authorities.
Kalisz is also particularly close to academy award winning composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, which is why he agreed to appear in the film.
Jan A.P. Kaczmarek: It was great that Gustaw Fibiger, even though the factory was no longer his property, was able to enter this world, no longer run by himself, and serve the idea of the perfect piano or grand piano. This was extraordinary. Only people with great hearts, great spirits, can serve an idea with such devotion. This idea was so deeply planted in him that he served it. I am not surprised that a man of great passion will continue to do so, despite the fact that circumstances have changed, because there is still hope and persistence in him to help this idea, to make these pianos better and better, to make them reflect this ideal world that can be conjured up from them somewhere. For me, this is a manifestation of Gustaw Fibiger’s extraordinary personality.
Judyta Fibiger – born in 1975 in Warsaw. Director and producer of documentary films. Executive producer of the film “Beats of freedom” (2010). Director: “Political Dress” (2011), “Tomasz Ossoliński. Before The Show” (2014), “My Big Biba” (2022). Author of the books “The World According to Smirnoff”, “You Don’t Know what’s yours – Poland through the Eyes of Foreigners and “Barbara Hulanicki. Only tomorrow counts”.
Event organised by the Association of Polish Piano Tuners
Film screening: 3 September (Saturday), 6.15 pm, Universe 1