Penderecki - a cappella in Berlin!

As part of the Polish Presidency 2011, the Polish Chamber Choir performed on December 3, 2011, in the RADIALSYSTEM V space in Berlin.

Project Penderecki - a cappella aimed to present the greatest achievements of Polish contemporary choral music through the lens of the creativity of one of the most distinguished Polish composers - Krzysztof Penderecki. During a discussion open to the public, the person and creativity of Krzysztof Penderecki were introduced, and the conversation with the composer was led by Ruth Jarre. After the panel discussion, a concert of choral works by Krzysztof Penderecki took place. The Polish Chamber Choir was conducted by Jan Łukaszewski. Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki conducted the second part of the concert with the piece: O gloriosa virginum (2009) for mixed choir a cappella. The audience received the concert very enthusiastically.

The previous choral works of Krzysztof Penderecki are fascinating, as they represent the most homogeneous group in terms of expression and stylistically extremely homogeneous against the backdrop of his numerous artistic statements.

PENDERECKI – A CAPPELLA

Program
19.00 – 20.00 – panel discussion Krzysztof Penderecki – Ruth Jarre
20.00 pm – concert “Penderecki - a cappella”
1. Sicut locutus est from “Magnificat” (1973/74) for mixed choir a cappella 2. Veni Creator (1987) for mixed choir a cappella 3. Iźe Cheruwimy (1987) for mixed choir a cappella 4. Miserere from “St. Lucas Passion” (1965) for mixed choir a cappella 5. In pulverem mortis from “St. Lucas Passion” (1965) for mixed choir a cappella 6. Stabat Mater (1963) for three mixed choirs a cappella 7. Benedictum Dominum (1992) for mixed choir a cappella 8. Benedicamus Domino (1992) for mixed choir a cappella 9. Kadisz (2009) /fragm./ for male choir a cappella
break 10. Sanctus (2009) for female choir a cappella 11. Benedictus (2002) for female choir a cappella 12. Ut quid Domine from “St. Lucas Passion” (1965) for mixed choir a cappella 13. Będę Cię wielbił, Panie (Psalm 30) from the cycle “Psalms of David” (1958) for mixed choir a cappella 14. De Profundis (1996) from “Seven Gates of Jerusalem” for three mixed choirs a cappella 15. Agnus Dei from “The Polish Requiem” (1981) for mixed choir a cappella 16. O gloriosa virginum (2009) for mixed choir a cappella 17. Kaczka pstra (2008) for female choir a cappella 18. Aria from “Drei Stücke im alten Stil” (1963) for mixed choir a cappella
Performing:
Polish Chamber Choir Jan Łukaszewski – conductor Krzysztof Penderecki – guest conductor
Organizer:
Polish Chamber Choir
RADIALSYSTEM V

Krzysztof Penderecki was born on November 23, 1933, in Dębica to a family of Armenian descent. Initially, he learned to play the violin and took composition lessons from Franciszek Skołyszewski. He continued his composition studies from 1955 to 1958 at the Music Academy in Krakow under Artur Malawski and Stanisław Wiechowicz. From 1966 to 1968, he worked at the Volkwang Hochschule für Musik in Essen (Germany). From 1973 to 1978, he taught at Yale University in New Haven, served as rector of the Music Academy in Krakow from 1972 to 1987, and was the artistic director of the Krakow Philharmonic from 1987 to 1990. He is the first guest conductor of the Norddeutscher Rundfunk Orchester in Hamburg and the Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester in Leipzig. Since 1992, he has served as the artistic director of the Casals Festival in San Juan (Puerto Rico). In 1997, he became the artistic director of the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra. Since 1998, he has been an advisor to the Beijing Music Festival in Beijing, and since 2000, a guest conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra. He conducts concerts with leading symphony orchestras in the United States and Europe. In addition to his own works, he conducts symphonic works by composers from various eras. Krzysztof Penderecki is the recipient of numerous artistic awards and high national and international honors, including, among others: I, II, and III prizes at the II Competition of Young Composers ZKP (1959), the State Award 1st class (1968, 1983), the Award of the Polish Composers' Union (1970), the Herder Prize (1977), the Honegger Prize (1978), the Sibelius Prize (1983), the Premio Lorenzo Magnifico (1985), the Karl Wolf Foundation Prize (1987), Grammy Award (1998, 1999, 2001), Grawemeyer Music Award (1992), International Music Council UNESCO (1993), Best Living World Composer Award (2000), Prince of Asturias Award (2001), Praemium Imperiale (2004), Order of the White Eagle (2005), and the Order of the Three Stars (2006). In 2008, Krzysztof Penderecki was honored with, among others, the Gold Medal of the Minister of Culture of Armenia, received the Honorary Professor Diploma from the State Conservatory in Yerevan, the Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Bogdan Zdrojewski in the field of music, the Award of the President of the City of Gdańsk Neptuny, and received the Orły 2008 award for the best music for the film Katyń by Andrzej Wajda. Krzysztof Penderecki is an honorary doctor of several higher education institutions (including in Rochester, Bordeaux, Washington, Belgrade, Madrid, Poznań, Warsaw, Buenos Aires, Glasgow, Münster, Seoul, Kraków, and Gdańsk - since November 6, 2008) and an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London, Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome, Kungl. Musikaliska Akademien in Stockholm, Akademie der Künste in Berlin, Academia National de Bellas Artes in Buenos Aires, Académie Internationale de Philosophie et de l’Art in Bern, Académie Nationale des Sciences, Belles-lettres et Arts in Bordeaux, Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, American Academy of Arts and Letters. Outside of music, Krzysztof Penderecki's passion is gardening. In the arboretum he established on his estate in Lusławice, he planted and cultivated over one and a half thousand species of plants.

Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis* belongs to the select group of the world elite of fully professional chamber choirs. The ensemble was founded in 1978 by Ireneusz Łukaszewski and has been under the direction and artistic leadership of Jan Łukaszewski since 1983. The interests of the 24 professional musicians in the ensemble focus mainly on a cappella music, especially contemporary and romantic music. Therefore, it is not surprising that many world-renowned composers dedicate their works to the ensemble (including H. M. Górecki, K. Penderecki, W. Kilar, A. Bloch, K. Meyer, P. Łukaszewski). The choir's repertoire includes over 350 premieres, numerous oratorio and operatic programs, performed in collaboration with the most outstanding Polish and foreign ensembles and philharmonic orchestras, such as: Sinfonia Varsovia, National Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio in Katowice, Academy of Ancient Music (Great Britain), Divino Sospiro (Portugal), Neue Düsseldorfer Hofmusik (Germany), Concilium Musicum Wien (Austria). The Polish Chamber Choir regularly collaborates with world-renowned conductors, including Eric Ericson, Uwe Gronostay, Frieder Bernius, and Stephen Layton. The Polish Chamber Choir regularly appears at international music festivals, including: Warsaw Autumn, Wratislavia Cantans, Ruhr-Festival, Rendez-vous musique nouvelle. In addition to over 60 CDs, many of which have been nominated for phonographic awards, the Polish Chamber Choir has also recorded for Polish and foreign radio stations and television stations. One of the choir's latest CDs, “Penderecki: Complete Choral Works” (DUX 2009), is the first complete monograph of the composer’s works for a cappella choir in the world. One of the most significant artistic projects of the Polish Chamber Choir is the International Mozart Festival “Mozartiana”.

Jan Łukaszewski
Regarded as one of the most distinguished specialists in choral music in Europe. Conductor, general and artistic director of the Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis. He also collaborates as a guest conductor with the Polish Radio Choir in Krakow, the Krakow Philharmonic Choir, and many ensembles in Poland and abroad. Jan Łukaszewski's artistic interests focus mainly on romantic and contemporary music. Under his direction, the Polish Chamber Choir has achieved a high artistic level, and he has gained a reputation as someone who can make the impossible possible in a short time and prepare musical interpretations of even the most complicated works. Therefore, he is often entrusted with conducting world premieres of many compositions. Engaging in educational activities in the field of amateur singing, Jan Łukaszewski has frequently served on the jury of prestigious international choral competitions, including in Japan (Takarazuka, Karuizawa, Morioka), Wales (Llangollen), Lithuania, Italy, and Switzerland, as well as in the jury of composition competitions in Poland, England (Cambridge), and France (Rouen). Jan Łukaszewski is one of the few promoters and performers of choral music by composers such as Schönberg, Messiaen, Xenakis, Globokar, Takemitsu, Castiglioni, R. Strauss, Pepping, Tippett, Ives, and Barber in Poland. Numerous recordings for Polish Radio, Dutch Radio, Sender Freies Berlin, Bayerischer Rundfunk, Südwestrundfunk, and Westdeutscher Rundfunk, as well as for Polish and German Television, and many CD, MC, LP, and video recordings best reflect the high quality of his work. The artistic level of the Polish Chamber Choir he leads continues to inspire composers to write works for a cappella choir. Jan Łukaszewski has received many prestigious awards and is also the founder and director of the International Mozart Festival “Mozartiana” in Gdańsk.

More information:
www.polskichorkameralny.pl
www.radialsystem.de