Customer Reviews

Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 03

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

 

 

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

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.

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.

I have heard people call Penderecki's early avant-garde works `dated'. To that I wish to point out that few avant-garde works display the kind of surface excitement and approachability as his - for people who are curious but generally skeptical about 60s avant-garde music, early Penderecki is probably the ideal music to start. That, and the fact that there are several undeniable masterpieces there, makes calling it `dated' somewhat equivalent to calling, say, Schumann's music dated because it is so inherently 19th century in its romanticism.

But the disc at hand does not feature early Penderecki. His second symphony, the so-called Christmas symphony, dates from 1979 and represents a total break with the avant-garde. It is a tonal, neo-romantic work drawing heavily on 19th century forms, and even quotes Christmas carols. It is a superbly scored work - Penderecki hadn't lost his touch in that respect - and is also utterly aimless, meandering, uninspired and dull. I hasten to add that I have no objections to neo-tonal music; I really enjoy Rautavaara and think Gorecki's third deserves its popularity. But this isn't remotely on the level of Gorecki's third. It's a musical hack job if there ever was one (apart, again, from the orchestration).

The fourth symphony is a tad more interesting. It is cast in one movement (of several sections) and is at least more varied in atmosphere and less monotonously sugary than the second. As with his early works, exploring instrumental sonorities takes a central role. Some of the more violent parts are actually interesting - but only to the extent that they resemble his earlier works. Now, even though it isn't a total failure, it is pretty thin gruel, and with so much excellent music out there to be explored I cannot recommend anyone to spend time with Penderecki's fourth. No complaints about the performances - quite the contrary; Antoni Wit leads a truly assured set of performances able to capture the color and dynamism of these works in what can only be claimed to be an ideal manner. But that cannot save this music; this is one for the specialist.

Penderecki first started composing his Symphony No. 2 on Christmas Eve, 1979, and the work has been subtitled Christmas Symphony. It contains musical allusions to the hymn, Silent Night, but would certainly not be taken by most listeners as "Christmas music." Of Penderecki's symphonies, this one is the most easily accessible for most listeners, making this disk a good starter disk for those classical music fans who would like to take a chance on some fairly contemporary symphonic music. Those who are comfortable with the symphonies of Shostakovitch, for example, should feel comfortable with the Penderecki Second, although the two composers sound quite a bit different. The overall mood of the Second is dark and somber, but there is an undercurrent of hope, a glimmer of light, but no neat, happy ending.

The Fourth, completed about a decade later, is more complex in its construction and mood, ranging from loud and boisterous to introspective, almost chamber-music passages. If you squint your musical eyes, you might swear that you behold the ghost of Mahler hovering above the orchestra, but as you look closer, you see that the apparition is smiling, making you wonder if that could really be the Mahler you have read about, and then you realize that the music has made you smile, too.

The orchestra plays well, the sound quality is excellent, and at the Naxos price, this disk represents an easily affordable way for listeners to experience music they might be afraid to take a chance on at major-label prices. Of the three volumes of Penderecki's orchestral music currently available on Naxos, this one is probably the best one with which to start your exploration of Penderecki's musical universe. What are you waiting for?

My continuing fascination with Penderecki's music led me to purchase this recording of his 2nd & 4th Symphonies. Unlike the 1st Symphony, which had a very Avant-garde approach to structure and tone, the 2nd & 4th Symphonies are more neo-romantic and less modernistic. And even though they have a less atmospheric tone, both symphonies are still dark and grim. A few segments may be a bit too bombastic, but the rest of the music is a treat for the ears. These two recordings are very good: they don't lack tension, and nor do they lack lyricism. Antoni Wit, as usual, conducts these with pure heart and soul, while the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra gives fantastic performances of both works.

Grade: A-

Some of this music is so over the top I can't possibly take it seriously; having said that, it's fun to listen to every once in a while. Lots of loud horn-blowing and gong hitting. This CD finds Penderecki writing music that is late-Romantic and yet as violent and brooding as he can muster. There are moments in which it has the kind of frantic mania that I suppose one could find in Shostakovich, but as I listen to it I find it easier to think of as a really angry version of Szymanowski. If you like over-the-top late-Romantic music, this CD is for you.