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Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki
Photo: Spotify

About

Krzysztof Penderecki (1933-2020) was a Polish composer and conductor whose radical sonic experiments in the 1960s - above all the Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) for 52 strings - placed him at the forefront of the European avant-garde. From the mid-1970s he moved deliberately toward a neo-Romantic tonal language, producing large-scale sacred works such as the St Luke Passion, Polish Requiem and Credo. He won four Grammy Awards and the Grawemeyer Award, and his music has reached mass audiences through its use in films including The Shining and The Exorcist.

4
Grammy Awards won (1987, 1998 ×2, 2017)
8
symphonies composed
52
string instruments in Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima
#1
ranking among Polish composers of his generation (Britannica)

What's new

  • 2026-07

    The Penderecki European Music Centre in Lusławice is hosting the 14th EMANATIONS Music Festival 'Echoes' from 4 July to 29 August 2026.

  • 2026-03

    The jury of the 9th Krzysztof Penderecki International Competition for Young Composers met in March 2026, with entries from France, Poland, Ukraine and the USA.

  • 2026-05

    The premiere of the winning composition from the 9th Penderecki Competition was scheduled for May 2026 at the 38th Kraków International Festival of Composers.

  • 2024-11

    Warsaw's Teatr Wielki Opera Narodowa staged a new production of Penderecki's opera The Black Mask, directed by David Pountney and conducted by Bassem Akiki.

  • 2020-03

    Penderecki died on 29 March 2020 in Kraków; later that year his alma mater, the Academy of Music in Kraków, was renamed in his honour.

Tracks

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima1960, for 52 strings; UNESCO prize 1961; used in The Shining and other films; his most-performed work
St Luke Passion1963-66; landmark choral-orchestral work blending avant-garde and Baroque forms
Polish Requiem1980-2005; commissioned by Solidarity; major sacred work of his neo-Romantic period
Credo2001 Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance (Oregon Bach Festival premiere recording)
Symphony No. 31988-95; one of his most-recorded symphonies; neo-Romantic in language

Recent shows

Upcoming · 3

Past · 3

Where they play · 1

European Centre for Music of Krzysztof Penderecki in Lusławice

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