Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020)

Started by Maciek, April 12, 2007, 03:43:03 PM

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Brahmsian


Pohjolas Daughter

Pohjolas Daughter


staxomega

Quote from: OrchestralNut on September 22, 2021, 10:32:32 AM
I have the DVD. I don't believe the credits for the music are that descriptive or detailed. But I will double check when I have time.

Random comment about The Exorcist, I think (think because my parents let us roam wild including let us watch horror and R-rated movies even as kids :laugh: ) the first time I saw this is when it got its theatrical re-release in 2000 or 2001. I got off a late night shift working at Sears, one of my friends worked at one of the movie theaters and I dropped by to hang out with him, seeing the skeletons of how a theater ran was something that was fascinating to me. I think The Exorcist was just on its final weeks of being shown as there were only a handful of people in the theater. To this day this remains one of the more disturbing things I've seen due to the atmosphere of being in an empty theater and having to drive back home on a dark, snowy night. Kept me up a bit late that night. After that I was drawn to more psychological or religious based horror.

Brahmsian

Quote from: hvbias on September 22, 2021, 02:14:40 PM
Random comment about The Exorcist, I think (think because my parents let us roam wild including let us watch horror and R-rated movies even as kids :laugh: ) the first time I saw this is when it got its theatrical re-release in 2000 or 2001. I got off a late night shift working at Sears, one of my friends worked at one of the movie theaters and I dropped by to hang out with him, seeing the skeletons of how a theater ran was something that was fascinating to me. I think The Exorcist was just on its final weeks of being shown as there were only a handful of people in the theater. To this day this remains one of the more disturbing things I've seen due to the atmosphere of being in an empty theater and having to drive back home on a dark, snowy night. Kept me up a bit late that night. After that I was drawn to more psychological or religious based horror.

As a young child, I tried watching The Exorcist on a few occasions with my older sister, but never had the courage to go through the whole film.

However, I finally did watch it when I was an older teenager, with my sister, all the way through, in the early 90s. I couldn't sleep for a few days.

I actually went to the theatre to watch the enhanced version of the early 2000s, and was struck at the end of the film when looking in the audience many pale, ashen teenage faces. The look on their faces gave me great pleasure as I knew they had just been scared out of their minds! Priceless.  :)

Pohjolas Daughter

#605
Your stories are priceless! lol  ;D Was trying to remember where I first saw it.  At first, I was thinking that it was in the theater, but then realized that the movie that I had been thinking of was The Omen.  I suspect that it was via t.v.

In any event, I've decided to take the plunge into further Penderecki.  I was able to get ahold of one CD of his orchestral works (Vol. 1 on Naxos with Antoni Wit and the National Polis Radio SO) which I'll dive into later today.  It has Symphony No. 3 on it, the Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima for 52 stringed instruments, Fluorescenes and De natura sonorous II.

I'd like to also hear the other works by him that are used in that movie--his cello concerto, Kanon for Orchestra and Tape, Polymorphia, the Devils of Loudon,  as well as his first string quartet.  As an aside, believe it or not, I've heard Crumb's "Night of the Electric Insects" via a Kronos CD (which I should go back and revisit).  It's on their album called "Black Angels" [part of the first movement in the work also called "Black Angels"].  The first time that I listened to it, I was taken aback by the strangeness of it and thought, yes, it does sound like that!  :o  :)

PD

p.s.  Meant to add that I suspect that Penderecki did (and still does) quite well regarding royalties on sales and showings of "The Exorcist".  If so, good for him!
Pohjolas Daughter

DavidW

Yes black angels is great and I love that Kronos Q recording.

Brahmsian

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on September 23, 2021, 04:54:50 AM

In any event, I've decided to take the plunge into further Penderecki.  I was able to get ahold of one CD of his orchestral works (Vol. 1 on Naxos with Antoni Wit and the National Polis Radio SO) which I'll dive into later today.  It has Symphony No. 3 on it, the Threnody for the victims of Hiroshima for 52 stringed instruments, Fluorescenes and De natura sonorous II.

I'd like to also hear the other works by him that are used in that movie--his cello concerto, Kanon for Orchestra and Tape, Polymorphia, the Devils of Loudon,  as well as his first string quartet.

Polymorphia is down right scary!  :o

You can see and hear The Devils of Loudun on YouTube. I haven't yet found a recording of Kanon for Orchestra and Tape on CD, it will be on the to do list. I have sampled on YouTube.

Symphony #3 was used to great effect in Scorsese's film Shutter Island.

Cello Concerto no. 1 is coming my way in the mail.

Threnody is probably his most famous piece from his avant-garde era.

Brahmsian

Quote from: DavidW on September 23, 2021, 05:15:30 AM
Yes black angels is great and I love that Kronos Q recording.

I have listened to it too, that recording. I had borrowed it from the library. Probably over a dozen years ago.

Pohjolas Daughter

I'll have to do some more interlibrary loans.  At the moment, I have a BUNCH of CDs (plus a couple of DVDs) to work my way through and I don't want to get any more behind in my listening! lol  :-[

Note:  I ran across an interesting obit for him by accident:  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/29/krzysztof-penderecki-obituary

I hadn't realized that he had passed away.  Perhaps due to the name of the thread (as it was started when he was still alive).  Perhaps one of the moderators could update it? 

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Pohjolas Daughter

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on September 23, 2021, 06:16:11 AM
I'll have to do some more interlibrary loans.  At the moment, I have a BUNCH of CDs (plus a couple of DVDs) to work my way through and I don't want to get any more behind in my listening! lol  :-[

Note:  I ran across an interesting obit for him by accident:  https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/29/krzysztof-penderecki-obituary

I hadn't realized that he had passed away.  Perhaps due to the name of the thread (as it was started when he was still alive).  Perhaps one of the moderators could update it? 

PD

The below is copied over from the What are You Listening to Now thread:

Penderecki's third symphony for this CD:



Wow!  Quite powerful, at times shocking and enthralling.  Very dramatic at times...sometimes in a rather dark/troublesome/or evil way.  A couple of things that struck me:  at around roughly 6 minutes into the Allegro con brio movement (the second), the music reminded me of something from Peter Grimes.  The last (fifth) movement at times made me think of Stravinsky's the Rite of Spring.  Lovely adagio (third movement) too.

This symphony was written much later in his life than from what I understand was his earlier more experimental/very contemporary phase (which I have yet to hear much of but hope to also explore).  A quote from him in the liner notes:  "Today, having gone through the post-Romantic lesson, and having exhausted the potential of postmodern thinking, I see my artistic ideal in 'claritas' (1997).

Will check out the other three works on it in a bit.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Brahmsian

Quote from: Pohjolas Daughter on September 23, 2021, 07:46:42 AM
The below is copied over from the What are You Listening to Now thread:

Penderecki's third symphony for this CD:



Wow!  Quite powerful, at times shocking and enthralling.  Very dramatic at times...sometimes in a rather dark/troublesome/or evil way.  A couple of things that struck me:  at around roughly 6 minutes into the Allegro con brio movement (the second), the music reminded me of something from Peter Grimes.  The last (fifth) movement at times made me think of Stravinsky's the Rite of Spring.  Lovely adagio (third movement) too.

This symphony was written much later in his life than from what I understand was his earlier more experimental/very contemporary phase (which I have yet to hear much of but hope to also explore).  A quote from him in the liner notes:  "Today, having gone through the post-Romantic lesson, and having exhausted the potential of postmodern thinking, I see my artistic ideal in 'claritas' (1997).

Will check out the other three works on it in a bit.

PD

Great review! And yes, the other three works on that CD are from his more experimental phase, you will clearly sense that!

Pohjolas Daughter

Thanks!  I just put some of my brief thoughts in the current listening thread.

PD
Pohjolas Daughter

Brahmsian

Just listened to Act I of the St. Luke Passion. Just an amazing piece, quite poignant!  :)

Especially love the final piece of Act I, Et surgens omnis Wonderfully dramatic.

Haven't listened to this in a long time.

Mirror Image

#614
Quote from: OrchestralNut on September 23, 2021, 01:27:49 PM
Just listened to Act I of the St. Luke Passion. Just an amazing piece, quite poignant!  :)

Especially love the final piece of Act I, Et surgens omnis Wonderfully dramatic.

Haven't listened to this in a long time.

Excellent! I love St. Luke Passion. The last recording I listened to was the Nagano on BIS and man what a performance! A must-buy, IMHO.

P.S. Don't buy any more Penderecki right now as you'll have a special package arrive to you on Oct. 3rd. 8)

Mirror Image

I did manage to buy a copy of this recording:



There are two recordings of this work --- this one on Dux and the Wit on Naxos. I love the Wit recording, but I've been thoroughly impressed with all of the Penderecki Dux recordings I've heard, so definitely looking forward to hearing it.

Brahmsian

Quote from: Mirror Image on September 27, 2021, 09:37:12 AM
Excellent! I love St. Luke Passion. The last recording I listened to was the Nagano on BIS and man what a performance! A must-buy, IMHO.

P.S. Don't buy any more Penderecki right now as you'll have a special package arrive to you on Oct. 3rd. 8)

Oh my, thank you! Wait...... You're not getting rid of all your Penderecki again, are you?  :D ;D :laugh: :P

Mirror Image

Quote from: OrchestralNut on September 27, 2021, 09:58:32 AM
Oh my, thank you! Wait...... You're not getting rid of all your Penderecki again, are you?  :D ;D :laugh: :P

Hah! :P No, this will be coming from Amazon and my pleasure.

greg

Quote from: OrchestralNut on September 22, 2021, 03:02:50 PM
As a young child, I tried watching The Exorcist on a few occasions with my older sister, but never had the courage to go through the whole film.

However, I finally did watch it when I was an older teenager, with my sister, all the way through, in the early 90s. I couldn't sleep for a few days.

I actually went to the theatre to watch the enhanced version of the early 2000s, and was struck at the end of the film when looking in the audience many pale, ashen teenage faces. The look on their faces gave me great pleasure as I knew they had just been scared out of their minds! Priceless.  :)
Always amuses me hearing people say the movie was scary. Supposedly much more so when it first came out. I felt like the movie was more of a comedy.
Wagie wagie get back in the cagie

Mirror Image

Quote from: greg on September 27, 2021, 07:28:13 PM
Always amuses me hearing people say the movie was scary. Supposedly much more so when it first came out. I felt like the movie was more of a comedy.

I've seen far more gruesome and psychologically gripping films since seeing The Exorcist when I was a teenager, but to be amused by people's reactions is strange. Also, you finding it more like a comedy thankfully only speaks of your own experience and not of other people's.