Metamorphosen, Penderecki’s Second Violin Concerto, was written for the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter between 1992 and 1995. Drawing on the contrasts between this work and the First Violin Concerto, which was premiered by Isaac Stern in 1

The Devils of Loudun/Ubu Rex: Possession and Laughter

Feb 14th, 2022

The two most famous operas by Penderecki offer a dazzling contrast in style and subject. Where The Devils of Loudun, premiered in 1969, translates Aldous Huxley’s history of religious possession and persecution in music of unsettling sensuality

The Passion of St Luke: Belief and Redemption

Jan 31st, 2022 43m 33s

“I was aiming for something that seemed unreachable”, said Penderecki of the St Luke Passion, a work written to mark one thousand years of Christianity in Poland, but commissioned by Westdeutscher Rundfunk to celebrate the 700th anniversary of

Brigade of Death- Brigade of Death: Memory and Outrage

Jan 17th, 2022 35m 16s

On 8 September, 1939, when Krzysztof Penderecki was just a few weeks shy of his sixth birthday, German forces took control of his home town of Dębica with its majority Jewish population. Between then and the liquidation of the Dębica ghetto in

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima: Terror and Sorrow

Jan 3rd, 2022 32m 17s

Fifty two strings. Eight minutes. Thirty seven seconds. Completed in 1960, Krzysztof Penderecki’s Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima has become one of his most well-known works thanks to its use in soundtracks of films by David Lynch, Wes Cra

Symphonies - Symphony No 7, 'Seven Gates Of Jerusalem'

Dec 20th, 2021 26m 17s

In the final episode of Jack's curated series, he charts the changing musical styles embraced by Penderecki across his career, using his symphonies as a starting point. Zooming in on the Seventh Symphony, Jack explains how Penderecki paints the

Screen - Soundtrack to The Saragossa Manuscript

Dec 6th, 2021 21m 23s

Jack celebrates Penderecki's score to a classic work of Polish cinema. We hear how Penderecki embraced a varied musical language for the task at hand, from crashing organ chords to dancing guitars. Plus, we hear about his impact on the next gen

Aulodia / Ekecheiria: Polish Culture

Nov 22nd, 2021 17m 9s

We explore how Penderecki found a world stage as a commissioned composer for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. We hear about the struggles Penderecki encountered in finding the right musical language for the commission, chart the internationali

String Quartet No 3: Childhood & Roots

Nov 22nd, 2021 20m 31s

We explore the traumatic events of Penderecki's upbringing, growing up as a boy in Nazi-German-occupied Poland from the ages of 6 to 12. How was his music a reaction to the events of the Second World War? Further reading & listening: Krzyszt

A Polish Requiem: Nationhood

Nov 22nd, 2021 27m 25s

We use Penderecki's A Polish Requiem to explore the volatile history of the Polish nation, and how this in turn influenced Penderecki's outlook. From trade union protests to sustaining religious faith under communist rule, we discover how a com

Trailer

Penderecki's Garden

Nov 17th, 2021 2m 7s

The late Krzysztof Penderecki was a legend of contemporary music. In this new limited podcast series, hear two famous British journalists, Jack Pepper and Charlotte Gardner, delving into the maestro's iconic work. Hosting five episodes each, ev

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