1. MONUMENTAL OPEN-AIR SHOWS
Monumental open-air shows – the Festival’s trade mark – promise to be exceptionally interesting this year.
On the first day (Thursday, 21st May at 9.30 p.m.) unforgettable suites from such films as Ironman, Spiderman, Matrix and the score of Perfume. The story of a Murderer will resound on the Blonia field. Diego Navarro – a conductor and composer from Tenerife will conduct the Sinfonietta Cracovia Orchestra and the Polish Radio Choir. Special guests of the open-air concert will include: Tom Tykwer (director of, among others, Perfume and The International, which has recently started to be screened in Polish cinemas) as well as Reinhold Heil and Johnny Klimek (who created the music for the following films: Run Lola Run, The Princess and the Warrior, Heaven, True, Perfume. The Story of a Murderer and songs for the film hit The Matrix Revolutions). The concert has been prepared in collaboration with the FIMUCITÉ Film Music Festival of Tenerife.
The Crouching Tiger Concerto for erhu and chamber orchestra – a piece based on the Oscar winning soundtrack to Ang Lee’s film – will be performed during the festival by the composer himself - Tan Dun. On 22nd May (Friday, 9.30 p.m.), the Chinese, Oscar winning composer will lead the AUKSO Orchestra during this unique concert on Krakow’s Blonia field. The solo on erhu, a traditional Chinese instrument, will be performed by Ma Xiang-hua, a virtuoso erhu player, and a Polish cellist – Bartosz Koziak.
In the grand finale of the 2nd Film Music Festival (Saturday, 23rd May) – the second part (after the first performed last year) of the complete film music score composed by Howard Shore for Peter Jackson’s trilogy – The Lord of the Rings will be unveiled. This time the monumental orchestra will present the soundtrack for the film The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers on Blonia field. It will start at 9.30 p.m. The 250-strong group of artists will be conducted by Ludwik Wicki from Switzerland, and the solo will be performed by Kaitlin Lusk, known from the last year’s Festival edition.

2. CONCERTS AT THE KRAKOW OPERA HOUSE AND PHILHARMONIC
Apart from the large open-air shows there will be two other great events awaiting film and film music lovers. On Thursday (21st May) at 7 p.m. Max Raabe and the Palast Orchester will present an exclusive repertoire of famous film and musical songs at the Krakow Opera House. The artist, adored for his ironic approach to film and popular music, will lead the group that is famous for its ambiguous interpretations of old German hits and cabaret songs from the Weimar period as well as contemporary American hits arranged in an old style. The artists have prepared an exclusive bunch of the most famous film songs especially for the 2nd Film Music Festival including, in particular, a selection of pieces from the period of prosperity between the wars, the heyday of noble entertainment, wealth and freedom, the époque from which cinema and its first stars originate. Max Raabe himself seems to come straight from the parlours of metropolitan society of the 1920s and 1930s. In Krakow we will listen to pieces from classic films, among others: Dein ist mein ganzes Herz (from the film The Land of Smiles), Cosi Cosa (A Night at the Opera), All God’s Children (A Day at the Races), I'm Singing in the Rain and Night and Day. The Krakow concert will be the first performance of the artist in Poland, a year before an official tour.
On Friday (22nd May) at 7 p.m. Oscar winner Jan A. P. Kaczmarek will take possession of The Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Krakow. One of the most distinguished composers worldwide will conduct a concert during which the audience will listen to suites from such films as Finding Neverland, Unfaithful, War and Peace, Quo Vadis and City Island, the latest production with the participation of Andy Garcia (it will be the premiere of this suite prepared especially for the Festival). We will watch Sussan Deyhim (singer) and the orchestra and choir of The Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Krakow conducted by Pawel Przytocki on stage. He will be accompanied by Sussan Deyhim, a charismatic vocalist of experimental music inspired by the ancient mysticism of the Middle East. Born in Teheran, the artist creates a deeply moving fusion of East and West in her music. She has appeared on numerous soundtracks, such as Martin Scorsese’sThe Last Temptation of Christ, Oliver Stone’s Any Given Sunday and Adrian Lyne’s Unfaithful with music by Jan Kaczmarek. It was this last film that launched the cooperation between the Polish composer and the Iranian artist. They have been performing together in film music concerts in the USA where they were applauded both by critics and an international audience.

3. ACCOMPANYING EVENTS
The Festival’s accompanying events also sound exceptionally promising. On 19th May Tan Dun will conduct musical workshops for students of music academies, future composers and conductors, musicologists and students of secondary schools of music. And on Saturday (23rd May) at 4 p.m. you are welcome to “Kijów” Cinema to see a special showing of City Island starring Andy Garcia, prepared in cooperation with Gremi Productions company.
Meetings with composers and creators at the festival’s tent in the Main Market Square have been planned for every day of the Festival. Details will soon be published on the Festival’s official website at www.fmf.fm.
During the Festival Krakow will be the venue for informal meetings between producers, film directors, film music composers, representatives of international associations of film music critics and directors of international film music festivals.
Tickets for the 2nd Film Music Festival in Krakow can be purchased at www.ticketonline.pl, and from May they will be also on sale at the three points of the Municipal Information Network in Krakow (Pawilon Wyspianski, pl. Wszystkich Swietych 2, phone: (+48) 12 616 18 86; Wieza Ratuszowa, Rynek Glówny 1, (+48) 12 433 73 10; ul. sw. Jana 2, 31-018 Krakow, (+48) 12 421 77 87).
For more information about the Festival please visit: www.fmf.fm