420 kilograms of equipment, hundreds of hours of rehearsal and preparation, 3,600 kilometers, and dozens of hours of travel. The first-ever jazz concert was held inside the volcano. Maciej Fortuna’s band performed on the spot with a program inspired by Polish folk songs.
The Thrihnukagigur volcano can only be reached on foot due to the surrounding Bláfjöll National Park. With the help of the audience, the musicians transported almost half a ton of equipment, moving it over a distance of nearly four kilometers.
Maciej Fortuna:
“We went down to the crater in two groups, first the technical team with drums, double bass, recording equipment, wiring, tripods, and cameras, then the audience. The stay in the volcano, including the installation of the recording equipment, lasted 90 minutes – that was our maximum. Before leaving, we calculated the estimated time of parting and playing, which must be enough for us not to get completely cold.
One of the unique phenomena is the aura of the place where I perform my music, and it is my main inspiration. We played the concert at the bottom of an active volcano, a more than 120 meters deep magma chamber, the only place on Earth where freezing lava created a cave with fabulous acoustic conditions. Our big concern was the vision of operating at a temperature close to zero degrees Celsius. We were preparing for these conditions, but in the end, we were unable to predict how the instruments would behave, let alone the voice”.
The band has performed in Spain, Switzerland, Georgia, Russia, and Iceland.
The film, directed by Przemysław Wawrzyniak, documenting an expedition into the interior of the Earth, won several awards and distinctions at festivals worldwide. It is available on the VOD platform.
Maria Jurczyszyn – white voice, Roman Chraniuk – double bass, Jakub Miarczyński – drums, Maciej Fortuna – trumpet