Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 03

Krzysztof Penderecki (Composer), Antoni Wit (Conductor), The National Polish Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: The National Polish Symphony Orchestra in Katowice
• Conductor: Antoni Wit
• Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki
• Audio CD (March 14, 2000)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Naxos
• ASIN: B00004R7N7
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #159,434 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lyrical, somewhat brooding, yet approachable pieces, July 5, 2000

By 

Mike Willis (Trafalgar, Victoria Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 03 (Audio CD)

Penderecki's music used to be something of a party piece in our house - I could clear a room (of people) simply by putting on an old Muza LP of The Nature of Sonority number two - one of those noisy, loud and dare I say somewhat wonderful pieces from the 1960s, complete with (I joke not) a part for vacuum cleaner.

But have no fear: the two symphonies on this disk are very well behaved yet are very much the work of this composer in his later style featuring a traditional orchestra, playing rich melodies composed for a large and often string based orchestra.

Still, this is still very much the work of Penderecki - there is a typical and somewhat gloomy style to his work which can be heard in these two symphonies and which can also be heard in more exotic earlier works - yet they are basically, very enjoyable, tuneful and thoroughly approachable works. Oddly enough when the second symphony was first recorded, some years ago, it was slated by critics who felt that Penderecki had abandoned the radical style so common in the 1960s and returned to romanticism. Superficially, this might seem to be the case, but in hindsight, these symphonies seem like a logical extension of earlier work - almost a maturing of the earlier style into something less hectoring and designed to shock. Even more, they now seem to be a bridge between the radicalism of the 1960s and the new romanticism of composers such as Part.

If you like Britten, Shostakovich, Bartok you will find these two symphonies well worth the money. If you are a fan of the work of Part you will find some similarities in these two symphonies. The performances are very fine (amongst Wit's best work) and the sound is excellent, detailed and rich - words which might describe the works themselves. Once you have collected this disk go for the rest of the series, and try to obtain the superb violin concerto, once available on Sony with Stern as the violinist

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dark Symphonies of Transformation, April 20, 2001

By 

Daniel R. Greenfield "Dan" (Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 03 (Audio CD)

I agree with everything the previous reviewer has written. These two symphonies are fascinatingly dark, brooding, searching works. Listening to Symphony No. 2, I feel the presence of Bruckner and Shostakovitch, especially the latter. The re-occurrence of the enigmatic "Silent Night" motif thorughout this dark work gives it an ironic spiritual centre. Yet this is not by any means an affirmation of faith. It more clearly resembles a dark night of the soul. And the calamatous Allegretto, like the shattering of a stained glass window of a cathedral, pronounces that despair is not far off. And in the end, there is no faith, only further searching, and possible resignation.

The Fourth Symphony resembles the Second in many respects; it is dark, probing, sullen. Commissioned to commemorate the bicentennial of the French Revolution in 1989, it is an ambiguous work, written in a more modern and sometimes more dissonant manner than the Second. The Fourth begins with ominous Shostakovichian undertones. Gradually however, we begin to feel the emergence of a uniquely individual voice, with something new and profound to say.

It seems to me that both works deal with the idea of inward transformation. The transformation is ominous, because success is not assured. As the Second so ably demonstrates, catastrophe is one very possible outcome. Even though both symphonies may mirror the state of the composer's own spirit, they may also relate to the tenuous spirit of the times that existed in Poland during the 80's.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The dark, brooding Neo-Romantic, May 25, 2007

By 

JohnWYC "John" (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 03 (Audio CD)

Penderecki, who was viewed as a god in avant-garde circles, shocked them utterly with his St. Luke Passion, employing traditional forms and harmonies (yes, even minor and major chords). Obviously, he went backwards further, as if searching for his roots, in his Symphony No. 2, his most romantic/traditional work.

Penderecki's symphonies all display the common trait of despair, dark undercurrents, and unresolved sombreness that would have made Shostakovich cry. Indeed, the codas are always resigned, never victorious. His music is not about happiness and the joys of life, but more about fate and the horrors of death.

His music also contains threads of Shostakovich irony in the fast passages, combined with his trademark of using descending chromatic scales in the melodies, as if falling into doom. (The tragic history of 20th century Poland must have had a strong influence on Penderecki's music).

Symphony No. 2, with its recurrent quote of Silent Night (the symphony is subtitled 'Christmas'), is relatively more wistful than the other symphonies, but still, the sense of tragedy is to be found everywhere in the work. I especially admire Penderecki's masterful use of the sonata form (both symphonies are in one movement). Climaxes build up surely and inevitably, and satisfaction is always rewarded, especially the tragic march, replete with howling horns and tolling bells, rooted in traditional harmonies. The heart of the work is of course the haunting adagio in the middle.

Symphony No. 4, subtitled 'Adagio', is a slightly more rigorous work, opening with grim calls from trumpets and poundings from lower strings. It is not that slow, as the title suggests, but the symphony does contain slow, introspective quasi-cadenzas for different instruments. There is an interesting use of roto-toms in the latter part of the work (also used in the fiery Symphony No. 3). Again, the symphony ends fatefully.

Wit and his Polish orchestra play with much power and feeling. The sound is more than good. For those who want to investigate Penderecki's mature neo-Romantic style, Symphony No. 2 would be the first place to start with. Penderecki is especially recommended for all lovers of Shostakovich.