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Penderecki: Orchestral Works, Vol. 01
by (Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki) (Conductor: Antoni Wit) (Orchestra: The National Polish Symphony Orchestra in Katowice)
Product Group: Music
Studio: Naxos
ISBN: B00004D3II
EAN: 0636943449127
UPC: 636943449127
Audio CD
Release Date: 2000-02-22
SKU: 08090022
Condition: Like New Like New
Comments: Audio CD in like new condition with no scratches. Very nice jewel case with like new art work and labels. CDs always shipped first class.
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Customer Reviews
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Buy this CD for Symphony No. 3 and "Flourenscence"...
Rating  (4)
Date: 2005-05-19
2 out of 2 customers found this reveiw helpful
... and not (a huge strong NOT!) for the "Threnody" and "De Natura de Sonoris No. 2"; Antoni Wit, although a well-respected conductor of Penderecki, has completely butchered the emotional impact the pieces were supposed to convey, as in the EMI Matrix 5 (or a 2 CD set) recording conducted by Penderecki himself.
"Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima", is perhaps the most famous Avant-Garde work by Penderecki, if not the "St. Luke Passion". Scored for 52 strings, the disturbing tone-clusters, novel effects, and the overall outpour of emotion depict the horrors of the world's first atomic attack.
Originally it was titled "8:33" in tribute to John Cage. In this performance, at least the very beginning "scream" was impressive, but the remainder of the piece turned out to be a threnody of its own. The chaos scene when different sections accumulate making random novel effects sounded like mush, and much of the harsh tone clusters lacks the emotion, especially in the final brutal 52-note cluter. In short, it sounded like "8:37" and should have been considered a purely experimental piece.
"De Natura de Sonoris No. 2", like the "Threnody", is a disturbing texture piece. This work, along with "De Natura de Sonoris No. 1", was used in the Stanley Kubrick horror film, The Shining. From the suspenceful strings to the a barrage of wailing brass (I jokingly called it "Elephants Imperil", but now I tend to imagine the multi-headed "Beast" - certainly the last thing people want to see especially Christians), it's indeed a frightening piece... at least in the EMI recording. The brass in Wit's performance, especially the horns, didn't sounded like monstrous wails, but mere flutters.
And now for the good news - "Flourescence" and Symphony No. 3. "Flourescence" is probably the wierdest piece of music he ever written. Unlike "Threnody", this texture piece is probably not meant to give emotional impact, but to witness what an orchestra can utilize using new sounds. This is probably the only recording available, so there is no comparison to make.
Penderecki's musical style drastically changed by the late 60's. His music became more Neo-Romantic; not as fascinating as his previous radical style. His Symphony No. 3 is still an impressive and haunting piece, with a hint of styles by Beethoven, Bruckner, and Shostakovich. The ominous fourth movement, with strings stubbornly playing the low D and brass producing sinister chords, gives way to inescapable horror like an opener to some suspense film. For those who like more traditional Romantic style music, this is probably a good work to get started on (the latter) Penderecki. Like the previous piece, done well by Wit, but it's the only recording available.
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One Star Less for Threnody
Rating (4)
Date: 2002-07-30
8 out of 8 customers found this reveiw helpful
Thank you Naxos for your commitment to adventurous music at affordable prices. That alone should put this CD on a must have list. Add to that the fact that for the most part, the performances are stellar and it makes this the Penderecki CD to have, if you want to explore this seminal late 20th century composer. The Symphony is one of my favorite Penderecki neo-romantic works. The neo-romantic tendency in Penderecki is evident even in his work of the late 60s. Certainly it is present in the choral music such as the St. Luke Passion. But in the Third Symphony it comes to the fore. This Symphony has echos of Bruckner, Mahler, and even Shostakovitch, but it is uniquely Penderecki. There is the same interest in orchestral effect and brooding melodic material that could be found in earlier works. For me, this Symphony and the Violin Concerto are the most successful pieces by Penderecki in this vein and certainly more interesting than many pieces by neo-romantic composers. (Give me Penderecki over Rouse any day!) The other works on the CD are from an earlier time in Penderecki's career, one in which sonority was everything. The sound experiments in De Natura sonoris III and Flouresences are well developed, but more interesting as experiments than moving as music. That leaves the Threnody. I have to agree that this is a disappointment. The performance has no arc to it. The final cluster, which should be devastating, doesn't seem to exist sonically. In fact, I missed it the first time I heard the CD. Wit seems to approach this piece in the same manner as he approaches the other pieces from the 60s on this disc, and it just doesn't work for a piece dedicated to the Hiroshima victims. (Though interestinly, I saw a lecture with Penderecki once in which he explained that the subtitle of the piece was an afterthought. He had never intended to depict bombs in the tone clusters of the piece.) Aside from the Threnody, Antoni Wit conducts this music with conviction and he has a great pedegree with the music of Penderecki, second only to the composer himself. He has conducted many premiers of the composer's music. And the Polish Radio knows the music through and through. So in conclusion, buy this CD. This is a great introduction to an important 20th century composer. But try to find the Double Forte twofer with the composer conducting the Threnody. That's a much superior performance.
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The last reviewer was right, but too generous
Rating  (1)
Date: 2001-10-02
14 out of 16 customers found this reveiw helpful
This is a dreadful performance of the Threnody. It is so tame, it should be called Threnody for the Victims of Heavy Traffic. There is no horror here. In Wit's performance, Hiroshima is just a bad day, an inconvenience. Get the EMI double set instead and you will have the best Penderecki performances. You will also have the best Penderecki. His works after the first symphony are not that interesting by comparison and most of these symphonies are quite forgettable.
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Excellent "Fluorescences", disappointing "Threnody"
Rating (4)
Date: 2001-08-12
5 out of 5 customers found this reveiw helpful
Sorry, but I can't agree with the previous reviews in one aspect: Is it that nobody has listened to Penderecki's own rendering of the astonishing "Threnody"? That one (*) is the now-and-forever reference for that work.(*) released by EMI on a CD (Matrix series no.5, with superb cover art by artist Peter Nevin) together with some other fine works as "Anaklasis", "Capriccio" and "De Natura Sonoris" I & II; and more recently on a 2-CD set (Double Forte series) together with also "Emanations" and the First Symphony (excellent works previously available separately in Matrix series no.17) I had listened to that performance quite a lot of times, I knew the whole work by heart (and I had also read its ground-breaking graphic self-speaking score). Then I bought this disc, and I must say I was highly disappointed with Wit's rendering. Well, some timbral aspects of it aren't that bad (in fact, really interesting), but his overall comprehension of the work seems to me quite poor. He and the string orchestra didn't get the right dynamics and seem lost in details while losing the tremendous impact of the whole, as you can get in Penderecki's fabulous rendering. Penderecki's is an overwhelming and neatly tied performance, Wit's one sounds rather like a bundle of lost-in-labyrinth cries. On the counterpart, I must say that his reading of "Fluorescences" is certainly the referential one. Here Wit really got it right. Every aspect of his performance here is excellent. For the other two works: the Third Symphony is well performed, but the work itself is not at all comparable to such masterpieces as the "Threnody" and "Fluorescences" (Penderecki's best orchestral scores, along with "Polymorphia"). "De Natura sonoris II", on the other hand, has again been better performed by Penderecki himself in the already-mentioned recording. So, buy this disc!! Its price is almost laughable, and some of its performances are first-class. But if you're interested in the amazing "Threnody", buy the one in EMI (which is mid-priced, even the Double Forte). And if you can afford it, you'd better buy both!!
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Best available intro to this composer
Rating  (5)
Date: 2001-02-02
6 out of 7 customers found this reveiw helpful
If you're unfamiliar with Penderecki, this CD is the best place to start. It contains his most (in)famous early work ("Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima") as well as the best large orchestral piece I've yet heard from him (3rd Symphony)."Threnody" remains one of the most radical and ear-lacerating sonic assaults ever created. Use it to wake up your loved ones, or clear unwanted guests out of the house. The other 2 "noise" pieces are more colorful but less concentrated. The symphony is robust, lurid, and happily neo-romantic. The highlight is an eerily beautiful adagio which makes me think of wandering through a decaying garden under a full moon. I also like the propulsive, macabre scherzo-finale, which will make you wonder why nobody ever thought of using a scherzo for a finale before. Once again Naxos puts the full-price labels to shame: adventurous music, terrific performances, good sound, and comprehensive notes, all for the price of lunch in a fast-food joint.
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