Customer Reviews

Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 02

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Volume two of Naxos's Cycle of Krzysztof Penderecki's orchestral works continues a successful series of recordings by Antoni Wit and the NPRSO (Katowice) with two massive symphony's, No. 5 and No.1, in that order.

Encountering one of Penderecki's symphonies for the fist time, having known his unabashedly modernist St. Luke Passion and such orchestral works as Polymorphia, I was very surprised by Symphony No. 5. It is largely conventional in language, having episodes that remind me of any number of modern symphonists, from Simpson to Honneger. Once, about nine minutes in, a vividly painted image seems to recall a Sibelian frozen vista and then it shades into a Wagnerian forest scene. Far from an exercise in derivation, however, there is a very individual personality at work here. All of the directness of purpose and clarity of expression that I value in Penderecki's early music is present in this 1992 score. It is a powerful, dramatic and substantive work.

Symphony No. 1 returns to the world of bent notes, sour glissandi and violent, bloody tone clusters we know and love from early Penderecki, though by this date (1973) his style had already started to change. Still, like the 5th, this thirty minute symphony is a dark and moving story told in finely contrasted episodes of subtlety orchestrated and at times arrestingly dramatic music. Penderecki is a part of the great lineage of symphonists and the form is richer for the inclusion of these two works.

The second in the ongoing Naxos series of Penderecki's orchestral works, this disc features two of his seven symphonies, written about twenty years apart from each other and yet sounding thoroughly like middle-to-late period Penderecki - the avant-garde and the neo-romantic rolled into one.

Penderecki wrote his Symphony No. 5 in 1991-92 and decided to leave it as one gigantic 37-minute movement instead of breaking it up into smaller sections, but there are definite changes in tempo that indicate a passage to a new section within the big movement. The orchestra is typically big - 100 players - with many important parts for trumpets and percussion throughout. The work begins with strings and tam-tam echoing the sounds of a Korean folksong, and this melody permeates the entire work. Also noticeable are references to other Penderecki works, most notably to his Flute Concerto written in the same year. The last five minutes of the work are about as dramatic as any symphony has ever been, and the ultra-percussive ending will leave you breathless.

Penderecki's Symphony No. 1 dates from 1972-73 and is typical of his middle period - a blend of the avant-garde with post-romanticism. The beginning bars of the four-movement symphony are scored for percussion instruments only, with strings and brass soon signalling in orchestral chaos. The second movement is full of microtonal glissandi and strange sound effects, and despite this, is actually quite listenable. The third movement is full of unusual string textures and is highlighted by blaring brass and throbbing timpani. The final movement returns to the percussive sounds of the symphony's beginning and concludes almost inaudibly with low notes on the double bass.

As I've said about the first disc in this series, this series is essential for anyone interested in the music of the 20th-century. This series is superbly recorded, decorated with informative liner notes, and offered at the typically-low (almost unbelievable) price on Naxos. Buy this CD and buy the whole series - you cannot go wrong if this is your musical forté.

If you're a fan of atonal and modern music, then you're probably already familiar with and a lover of Penderecki's work.

If you are generally unfamiliar with the atonal experience, this CD is a very good place to start. Symphony No 5 will ease you into the genre and No 1 will immerse you fully without beating you over the head with exoticism.

An old friend of mine once said, "to hear the music of Penderecki is to hear the voice of God." Religious overtones aside, there is no doubt that his work is some of the most interesting and pleasing of the modern genre. At times, his music seems to convey motion or color more than just sound. I was pleased when I heard this CD for the first time, and surprised at its cost: the $6 price tag gets you three or four times that in quality of sound, engineering, and musicianship.

Highly recommended!

As my admiration for Krzysztof Penderecki grows, so does my CD collection. Naxos has given us a splendid discography of one of the most famous Avante-garde composers in Europe. Here in the second volume, we are given two symphonies that are thirty minutes in length. Symphony No. 1 (composed in 1973) consists of four continuous movements, and each are an equally enjoyable experience, if you're into modern classical music. The first movement is heavily percussive, with the beginning notes sounding like slow-moving machinery until it gradually grows into a vast empire of metallic rhythms. The second and third movements showcase Penderecki's constant use of atonal imagery. The final movement features a reprise of the first. Symphony No. 5 (composed in 1992), often called the Korean Symphony, uses harmonies of traditional Korean folk songs as its main subject. This is a single 37-minute movement that brings diversity to its tempi and dynamism.

Antoni Wit is an intelligent conductor, and he reads the two scores as if they were authenticated by Penderecki himself. The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra is really amazing to listen to, considering the fact that this is indeed very sophisticated music to perform (almost as hard as Stravinsky's Rite of Spring). The Naxos sound quality is stunningly great, with some impressive acoustics that can almost be compared to RCA and Chandos.

An excellent recording of two of the great symphonies of the late 20th century. Such a vast compositional palette is rarely heard from a single composer, let alone on a single CD. Penderecki's greatest accomplishment may be in his mastery of both 19th and 20th century harmonic language without ever resorting to the use of "devices." Just fantastic music throughout.

Symphony No.5 is in 1 movement. There is a continuous contrast between slow and fast themes, as well as between those which are tranquil and more lively. This Symphony is well orchestrated, with a constant use of all sections of the orchestra. Penderecki blends the sounds of the various sections of the orchestra very smoothly. The Symphony opens in a somber mood, but ends on a brighter note, although not so triumphant. Symphony No. 1 is an avant-garde work in 4 movements. The Symphony does have a structure, but the sounds are not that of a usual symphony. The Symphony begins and ends with the sounds of hitting sticks together and the sound of a ratchet. There are also periods of pizzicato strings, and staccato-like woodwinds and brasses. If you are anticipating melodies in this Symphony, forget it! Truthfully, I am not a big fan of avant-garde music, so luckily, by chance, this was the last of Penderecki's symphonies, heard by me. If this were the first of his symphonies heard by me, I would have thought to myself,"This is music?", and probably would not have listened to another of Penderecki's compositions. Fortunately, I had heard several of his works before, including avant-garde ones, so I could appreciate his experimenting with all types of sounds, and appreciate his 1st Symphony.

Sorry, but I must start what will turn out to be quite a favorable review with what I fear many readers will take to be a petulant little quibble: it drives me crazy when producers place works on a disk in reverse chronological order. Maybe it's no big deal, but it certainly seems as if it would have been an even smaller deal to open this disk with the First (1973) rather than the Fifth (1992). Perhaps they were afraid that if auditioners chanced upon this disk in some store that somehow had Naxos disks available for audition before purchase (not a really likely scenario, unfortunately), the opening percussion sounds of the First may have been just plain too much for the average listener, and a sale may have gone down the tubes based on a bad first impression.

The Fifth certainly opens impressively with an atmosphere of mystery and drama that is maintained throughout. The work is in a single movement, and its colorful scoring and coherent construction should appeal to a wide variety of tastes. The music sounds modern, and somewhat challenging, gut never harsh or forbidding. The First may be a little tougher sledding for many listeners (OK, maybe Naxos really was justified in not starting off the CD with this work!), with lots of percussion and plenty of eerie string sounds, but overall it is great fun to listen to, although perhaps not a work that many listeners will want to play over and over.

The engineering is not quite audiophile quality, but it is certainly adequate to the task at hand, capturing the wide range of orchestral sounds that Penderecki puts into the score and his pupil Wit draws from the Polish musicians. To have such a disk available at a bargain price is truly wonderful, and I urge all those with desires to expand their musical horizons to give this CD an audition.

First of all, you can't beat the Naxos value. Thier recordings and performances are consistantly very good for an excetionally low price tag. Okay then... Penderecki's music is intense and scary. It is extraordinarily organized for someone who falls under the avant garde label. It sounds like music from a Satanic cartoon. The violin parts stretch out my cerebral cortex like a piece of Big Red. I would highly recommend it. Its breath-taking and quite beautiful.