Penderecki, Krzysztof << pehn deh REHTS kih, kruh ZIHSH tawf >> (1933-2020), was a Polish composer and conductor. He became known for using unconventional instrumental and vocal sound effects in his works. For example, in his String Quartet No. 1 (1960), the musicians slap their instruments and tap them with their bows. In Dimensions of Time and Silence (1960), a chorus sings only single-syllable consonants. In other works, singers hiss or whistle. His most famous piece is Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) for 52 string instruments.
Penderecki wrote several religious works, including St. Luke Passion (1966) and Utrenja (1970-1971). For the 25th anniversary of the United Nations, he wrote Kosmogonia (1970) for solo singers, chorus, and orchestra. Penderecki composed several operas, including The Devils of Loudun (1969), Paradise Lost (1978), The Black Mask (1984-1986), and Ubu Rex (1990). Paradise Lost reflects Penderecki’s turn away from a dissonant style toward a more Neoromantic style. His other compositions include Symphony No. 2 (1980), Concerto for Viola and Orchestra (1983), Sinfonietta No. 2 (1994), and Seven Gates of Jerusalem (1996).
Penderecki was born on Nov. 23, 1933, in Debica. He made his debut as a conductor in 1973, with the London Symphony Orchestra. He was rector of the Academy of Music in Krakow, Poland, from 1982 to 1987 and artistic director of the Krakow Philharmonic from 1987 to 1990. Penderecki died on March 29, 2020.
