Conductor, Composer

Krzysztof Penderecki

1933 — 2020

About

Albums

Serenade - Works for Clarinet and Strings by Krenek, Gál and Penderecki

Kilian Herold, Florian Donderer, Barbara Buntrock, Tanja Tetzlaff

Hommage à Penderecki

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Roman Patkoló, Lambert Orkis, London Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki

Mendelssohn & Penderecki: Sextets (Live)

Aaron Pilsan, Anna Reszniak, Elisabeth Kufferath, Maya Meron, Gustav Rivinius, Edicson Ruiz

The Silver Album

Anne-Sophie Mutter

Penderecki & Lutosławski: String Quartets

Royal String Quartet

Lutoslawski: String Quartet (1964) / Penderecki: Quartetto per archi (1960) / Mayuzumi: Prelude for String Quartet (1961) / Cage: String Quartet in Four Parts (1950)

LaSalle Quartet

Penderecki: Metamorphosen

Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lambert Orkis, London Symphony Orchestra, Krzysztof Penderecki

Hindemith, Britten, Penderecki: Lachrymae

Kim Kashkashian, Stuttgarter Kammerorchester, Dennis Russell Davies

Documentaries

Rostropovich: The Musical Conscience

A film by E. S. Lansch

Documentary29 Min

AboutKrzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki (born November 23, 1933, Dębica near Rzeszów) is one of the most significant composers of Polish post-serial and contemporary music. As a child, he received piano and violin lessons and studied at the Academy of Music in Krakow, among others, with Artur Makawski. His understanding of music, shaped by late Romanticism and in his early years experimenting with various cluster, timbre, noise, glissando, and vibrato techniques, ensured his international popularity among contemporary composers. Krzysztof Penderecki, who has increasingly appeared as a conductor since the 1970s, served as a professor of composition at the Folkwang School in Essen (1966–68), Yale University in New Haven (1973–78), and the University of Music and Performing Arts Graz (1993–97), and also contributed to the education of young talent as Rector of the Academy of Music in Krakow (1972–87). Krzysztof Penderecki's worldwide success began in 1958 with works such as "Psalmy Dawida" (1958), "Strofy" (1959), and "Emanations for String Orchestra" (1959). The latter marked the beginning of a series of experimental instrumental music that explored the timbres of contemporary ensemble language, like "Anaklasis for 42 String Instruments and Percussion Groups" (1960) or "Fluorescences for Orchestra" (1962). With the "St. Luke Passion for Soprano, Baritone, Bass, Narrator, Boy's Choir, Three Mixed Choirs, Organ, and Orchestra" (1962–65), a stylistic reorientation began, bringing Krzysztof Penderecki together with vocal-instrumental genres such as opera, oratorio, and sacred compositions. Unlike many contemporary colleagues, he did not perceive the subsequent increasing engagement with late Romantic forms of expression as nostalgic, but rather as a consistent further development and reconciliation with tradition. Also well-known are operas such as "The Devils of Loudun" (1969), "Paradise Lost" (1978), "The Black Mask" (1986), and "Ubu Rex" (1991), orchestral works like "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima" (1959), his concertos for cello, violin, and piano, sacred vocal music such as "Stabat Mater" (1962), "Te Deum" (1979), and chamber music like his string quartets, the "Quartet for Clarinet and String Trio" (1991), or the "Sextet for Violin, Viola, Cello, Clarinet, Horn, and Piano" (2000).

Hommage à Krzysztof Penderecki: The Silver Album

Dive into the world of Krzysztof Penderecki, one of Poland's most distinguished late 20th-century composers. Part of the "Polish School" group of composers, Penderecki's early experiences under German occupation and Communist rule fueled his rebellious artistic spirit.

Penderecki & Lutosławski: A String Quartets Exploration

Appreciate his radical musical expressions such as the haunting "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" and the powerful "St Luke Passion". Discover how his later works, such as the cherished Violin Concerto No.1 and his symphony series shifted towards a personal style rooted in late-Romantic tonality.

Honoring Penderecki with Metamorphosen

Embark on a journey through Penderecki's impactful career, learn how he defied Communist dogmas, inspired internationally renowned movie directors, and rock groups alike. Truly, he bridged the gap between classical and popular artforms in an unprecedented manner.

Lachrymae: A Collaboration of Hindemith, Britten, and Penderecki

Despite the acclaim he received towards the latter part of his career as a cornerstone of European music, his early masterpieces have had a profound influence extending beyond the classical concert hall. This is the legacy of Krzysztof Penderecki, a boy marked by war and tyranny who became a beacon of artistic defiance and innovation.

Rostropovich: The Musical Conscience - A Film by E. S. Lansch

Krzysztof Penderecki was one of the most influential Polish composers and conductors of the late 20th century, renowned for his pioneering orchestral techniques and his profound impact on both classical and contemporary music. His musical journey reflected both the turbulence of his era and a relentless drive for artistic innovation.

Born in Dębica, Poland, Penderecki’s early life was shaped by the trauma of the German occupation and post-war Communist rule. He studied composition at Jagiellonian University and later at the Academy of Music in Kraków, eventually becoming its rector and teaching internationally, including at Yale University.

Penderecki burst onto the international scene with the avant-garde Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, a searing string orchestra piece employing innovative extended techniques, cluster chords, and tone clusters to evoke raw emotion. This work remains a landmark of 20th-century modernism and symbolizes the composer’s challenge to artistic and political conventions.

His early triumphs were quickly followed by ambitious works like the St Luke Passion, which combined choral grandeur with modernist dissonance and religious texts to powerful and controversial effect. The opera The Devils of Loudun was performed widely across Europe, further establishing his reputation.

By the late 1970s, Penderecki gradually shifted from the avant-garde towards a distinct neo-Romanticism, as heard in his later works. His artistic evolution is a testament to his versatility and relentless pursuit of innovation.