• Penderecki Festival, 17-23 November 2013

I have been remiss in not uploading details of the major Polish celebration of Krzysztof Penderecki’s 80th birthday, which falls on this coming Saturday, 23 November.  A week-long festival is taking place in Warsaw and boasts a star-studded line-up of soloists and conductors.  It encompasses his orchestral, choral and chamber music from over 50 years and is a well-chosen survey that demonstrates his unique contribution to the music of our times, ranging from the Three Miniatures for clarinet and piano (1956), through Strophes (1959), the (in)famous Threnody to the victims of Hiroshima (1960) and Dimensions of Time and Silence (1961) and on to the style-changing First Violin Concerto (1976).  The most recent works are the Double Concerto for violin and viola (2012) and Missa brevis (2012).  There are four of the symphonies: no.2 ‘Christmas’ (1980), no. 4 ‘Adagio’ (1989), no.7 ‘Seven Gates of Jerusalem’ (1996) and no.8 ‘Songs of Transience’ (2005/2007).  Choral music includes Credo (1998) and Kaddish (2009).  There is a good deal of chamber music, including the three string quartets (1960, 1968, 2008), plus two works by other composers, Aulis Sallinen and Paul Patterson.  Here’s the brochure.