1. Anaklasis, for string orchestra & percussion 2. Threnody (for the Victims of Hiroshima), for 52 strings 3. De Natura Sonoris I, for orchestra 4. Capriccio for violin & orchestra 5. Canticum canticorum Salomonis, for chorus & orchestra 6. De Natura Sonoris II, for orchestra 7. Fonogrammi, for flute & chamber orchestra 8. The Dream of Jacob, for orchestra
Customer Reviews of This Album/CD
staring into the abyss Submitted on: 2009-06-19
This EMI Matrix 5 disc is all early Penderecki from his early avant-garde period, with compositions dating from 1959 to 1974. The recordings included here are now available on a 2-disc set reissued in 2007 in the Gemini series. All the music is conducted by the composer, performed by the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra, and recorded for EMI in the 1970s. The Gemini set adds four pieces, "Emanations" (1958 -- 6'48), "Partita for Harpsichord, Guitar, Contra-Bassoon & Harp" (1971 -- 19'15), "Concerto for Cello" (1972 -- 14'45), and the great "Symphony No. 1" (1973 -- 31'14), performed by the London Symphony Orchestra.
Penderecki blazed to fame shortly after graduating from the Krakow Academy of Music in 1958. He won awards in Poland with his compositions, and the "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima" won the UNESCO Prize in 1960. Other than "Hiroshima," I have found no political references regarding Penderecki's early music, but I can't help concluding from its tone that the composer was deeply affected by social and political events. This music is unremittingly dissonant and anguished, and it seems to be concentrating the sense of dread of living under the threat of all-out nuclear war which was especially intense before the SALT agreements of the 1970s. Some might consider these works to be dated, a symptom of the post-war avant-garde run amok, but I find them to continue to exert a baleful power, and as the new millennial world has certainly not given any cause for calm repose or complacency, they are arguably as relevant as ever.
Following the period represented here, Penderecki either retrenched or grew out of his avant phase, take your pick. Perhaps his most well-known work, the ST. LUKE PASSION for chorus and orchestra, is from the late 1960s, and so uses radical musical language to express the Catholic vision that would increasingly dominate Penderecki's music from the 1970s on, with more conventional, tonal means. It seems to me that he was on the edge, staring into the abyss, while writing his 1960s music. Then he, and the world, stepped back and kept going.
In other words, I believe that he was a reluctant radical, unlike others of the avant-garde who persisted (and persist) with a radical vision, aesthetic, social, political, and/or spiritual, impervious to world events. I know there are those who think that either Penderecki's radical phase must have been insincere, or the more traditional music he has written since is insincere, but this music has the utmost integrity, and I believe that the same is true of the composer. I look forward to hearing more of his music. (See my review of Anne-Sophie Mutter's recording of his Violin Concerto No. 2, METAMORPHOSES.)
Avant-garde masterpieces... Submitted on: 2008-03-11
Penderecki has always been a master of expressing horror through music. There is no finer example of this than this compilation of pieces. Some of the selections are popular for their use as the score in "The Shining", such as "De Natura Sonoris No. I and II" and "The Dream of Jacob". However, apart from their inclusion in that fantastic film, each of the pieces hold their own. Almost all of Penderecki's work is autobiographical in a way, and relate to certain historical events, such as "Threnody", which is included on this CD. For lovers of avant-garde, surreal, and experimental music, this is a must have.
Excellent compilation of classic modern works Submitted on: 2007-05-29
Although Penderecki has done very little that could be considered wholly original (most of his work borrows liberally from contemporaries such as Xenakis and Boulez), his oeuvre is still notable for a number of extremely inventive compositions that are possessed of the focus and intensity of their subject matter.
The celebrated, popular "Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima" is one fine example of such a composition. "Threnody" employs tone clusters performed in shattering registers to deliver a sonic equivalent of the horror experienced by the victims of the United States' most egregious and destructive war crimes. Penderecki's first mature political statement is as effective as it is unbearably loud.
To note that the remainder of this disc's music is lighter fare is to type in a strictly relative context. But so many people seem to disregard the humor and levity of Penderecki's music, focusing only on the "horrific" aspects of his sonic palette. To be sure, Kubrick implemented key extracts from "Anaklasis," "De Natura Sonoris No. 1" and "The Dream Of Jacob" (among other works by Bartók and Ligeti) in the soundtrack for his film adaptation of "The Shining," but the placement of these selections indicate as much of a certain sly wit as they do of a blunt, morbid effect.
My personal favorite track from this album is the excellent premiere recording of "The Dream Of Jacob." Although this composition was clearly the product of a distinctly morbid Catholic sensibility, its' effect isn't dulled in the slightest even when divorced from the myth of a Hebrew patriarch's sacred vision. This must be the one of the most profound, terrifying compositions that I've heard. But its' effect is due in part to relative simplicity - despite the inherent dissonance of all of his early popular compositions, Penderecki's popularity is directly related to the accessibility of his work.
While Penderecki's music is built from the influence of far greater minds, this should not suggest that his output is without merit. To the contrary, Krzysztof Penderecki has composed a handful of enduring - albeit derivative - classics that will likely stand the test of time.
One led to the other Submitted on: 2007-05-19
In the liner notes, the composer is quoted in regard to Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima "the problem of the great Apocalypse (Auschwitz), that great war crime, has undoubtedly been in my subconscious mind since the war when, as a child, I saw the destruction of the ghetto in my small native town of Debiça". Nazi Germany was responsible for that destruction, not to mention Auschwitz, and although Imperial Japan took no direct part in those atrocities, they were allied with Germany during the war. So the bombing of Hiroshima, in some way, was connected to the atrocity the young Penderecki witnessed. Thus, through this association, the Threnody becomes a lament for all victims of war. At least, I think that's what the composer intended. Perhaps this is a work where title and comments can only detract from its effectiveness. Standing on its own as a pure cry of horror, Threnody has few equals.
Horror has never been so clearly expressed... Submitted on: 2005-06-22
I am not usually a fan of so-called "avant-garde" music. Though this may fit into that category, everything that Penderecki does seems to be used as a form of expression. What is he trying to express? Horror.
The very beginning of "Threnody" makes one flinch. I remember turning up the volume quite loud when listening to this, and upon doing so, I was in for quite a surprise. I had never heard music quite like this before. "Threnody" starts with a high, shrill note in the violins, and the rest join in. By the time this section is over, just about anything else that follows seems tame.
What amazed me was, although the work was brutally dissonant at times, there was a beauty in the dissonances. The jarring harmonies all seemed to fit in place. They made sense, though they might have been painful to listen to.
The capriccio was fascinating. The violinist was quite good, both technically and expressively. This piece is quite difficult to describe. The term "capriccio" makes one think that it is supposed to be humorous in some way... and in a sense it is, but in a way that is almost terrifying.
The Canticum Canticorum Salomonis was beautiful and haunting. The voices, like spirits, surround you, crying, gasping, whispering, and moaning. At times there seem to be tonal influences, though they are rare. Overall, this is probably my favorite track on the CD.
I would definitely recommend this CD, even to those without much experience with atonal music, if they are willing to give it a try. It really is beautiful, though the beauty can only be found when one realizes that this music is not supposed to be "pretty", it isn't supposed to be tonal, and it IS supposed to contain strong dissonances. That is how it gets its point across, and in that sense, Penderecki knew what he was doing.
staring into the abyss
Excellent compilation of classic modern works