Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki

Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...

 wrote his Symphony No. 2 during the winter of 1979–80. Sometimes referred to as the "Christmas Symphony" (quotations of the Christmas carol "Silent Night

Silent Night

"Silent Night" is a popular Christmas carol. The original lyrics of the song "Stille Nacht" were written in Oberndorf bei Salzburg, Austria, by the priest Father Joseph Mohr and the melody was composed by the Austrian headmaster Franz Xaver Gruber...

" occur repeatedly throughout the symphony), neither the score nor the parts (Schott Music

Schott Music

Schott Music is one of the oldest German music publishers. It is also one of the largest music publishing houses in Europe and is currently the second oldest music publishing house. The company headquarters of Schott Music was founded by Bernhard Schott in Mainz, Germany in 1770.Established in...

, Mainz 45 791) make any reference to this moniker.

Structure

The symphony, lasting 30–35 minutes, is in one movement employing a modified sonata form

Sonata form

Sonata form is a large-scale musical structure used widely since the middle of the 18th century . While it is typically used in the first movement of multi-movement pieces, it is sometimes used in subsequent movements as well—particularly the final movement...

.

Analysis

The harmonic idiom of the symphony is unabashedly tonal and romantic, akin to that of Bruckner, and is seen by many at the time of the symphony's completion as a betrayal to the prevailing avant-garde style, to which Penderecki himself had previously contributed significantly (as demonstrated in his Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima

Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima is a musical composition for 52 string instruments, composed in 1960 by Krzysztof Penderecki , which took third prize at the Grzegorz Fitelberg Composers' Competition in Katowice in 1960...

). However, this reversion to a romantic style had already been hinted at in his St. Luke Passion

St. Luke Passion (Penderecki)

The St. Luke Passion is a work for chorus and orchestra written in 1966 by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki...

 and Violin Concerto No. 1 of a few years earlier. This change in style was to become permanent, and his music since has been coined as neo-romantic

Neoromanticism (music)

Neoromanticism in music is a return to the emotional expression associated with nineteenth-century Romanticism. Since the mid-1970s the term has come to be identified with neoconservative postmodernism, especially in Germany, Austria, and the United States, with composers such as Wolfgang Rihm and...

 in style.

Recordings

Orchestra	Conductor	Record Company	Year of Recording	Format
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice (Polskie Radio. Wielka Orkiestra Symfoniczna w Katowicach)	Jacek Kasprzyk	Muza	1981	LP
Norddeutscher Rundfunk. Sinfonie-Orchester	Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Penderecki Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...	Wergo	1994	CD
National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Katowice)	Antoni Wit Antoni Wit Antoni Wit is a Polish conductor. He is the present musical director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.Wit graduated from Kraków's State Higher School of Music, studying conducting under Henryk Czyz and composition under Krzysztof Penderecki, going on to study under Nadia Boulanger in...	Naxos Records Naxos Records Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...	2000	CD