#36 – March 30, 2020

IN MEMORIAM KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI (November 23, 1933 – March 29, 2020)

UWERTURA PITTSBURSKA (Pittsburgh Overture), 1967

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SctIG18OX14

Krzysztof Penderecki, one of the world’s most celebrated composers, died on Sunday 29th of March at 86 years of age.

Penderecki composed four operas, eight symphonies and several orchestral pieces, a variety of concertos, choral works as well as chamber and instrumental works.

Among his best-known works are Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (1960), Symphony Nr. 3 (1988 – 95) or Saint Luke’s Passion (1966).

His film scores were also highly praised, such as “The exorcist” for William Friedkin, “The Shining” for Stanley Kubrick or “Wild at Heart” for David Lynch.

He has also written several works for wind instruments settings, including the Pittsburgh Overture, our Composition of the Week, premiered on June 30, 1968 in Pittsburgh by the American Wind Symphony Orchestra under Robert Austin Boudreau.

The Pittsburgh Overture is written for a wind ensemble with a rather unusual combination (see instrumentation detail here below), it has a duration of 12 minutes and it is edited by EDITION PETERS.

https://www.windrep.org/The_Pittsburgh_Overture

Other works for winds are:

  • Actions, for Jazz Ensemble (1971), 17’, Schott
  • Danziger Fanfare, for Brass, Timpani and Percussion (2008), 2’, Schott
  • Entrata, for Brass (1994), 4’, Schott
  • Luzerner Fanfare, for 8 trumpets and percussion, (1998), 6’, Schott
  • Prelude for Peace, for Brass, Timpani and Percussion, (2009), 4’, Schott
  • Preludium, for Wind Orchestra, Percussion and Contrabass (1971), 8’, manuscript.
  • Lichen – Fanfara, for Wind Instruments (2006), 3, Schott
  • Ubu Rex, Burlesque Music, arranged by Henning Brauel (1995), 16’, Schott

Penderecki has won many prestigious awards, including the Commander’s Cross in 1964, the Prix Italia (1967 and 1968), the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta (1964), four Grammy Awards (1987, 1998 (2) and 2017), Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, France (1996)…