Around the Music Festival

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki died at his home in Krakow on March 29. He is 86 years old.

He was born in 1933 in Dębica, 100 km east of Krakow.

He is one of the composer of avant-garde music in the 20th century, especially differential music. He broke new ground in classical music with innovative religious and orchestral music.

The first step towards international activity was the monopolization of the prize by his three works in the 2nd Youth Composer Competition of the Polish Composers Federation.

The following year, his work, “Strofy”, “Psalmy Dawida”, “Emanacje” premiered at the Warsaw Autumn Festival and the Donaueschingen Music Week, which attracted international attention.

At first he composed using 12-tone techniques, but in the 1960s he gained worldwide acclaim for his series of works using the tone cluster method.

In the 1960s, he released a series of masterpieces, such as “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima”, “St. Luke Passion”, and others.

He has been a composer, educator, and conductor since the 1970s. In 1972, he became the Dean of the Krakow Conservatory (-1987). In the 1980s, he released the masterpiece “Polish Requiem”.

He has won the Grammy Awards four times and has won numerous awards, including the Polish National Award in 1983.

His music was often used in movies. His sound has a strong presence in such films as “Exorcist”, “The Shining” and “Shutter Island”.

Photo：Damian Klamka　/　East News