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Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer known for his foreboding sound, dies at 86
Last edited Wed Apr 1, 2020, 01:12 PM - Edit history (1)
Obituaries
Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer known for his foreboding sound, dies at 86
By Harrison Smith
March 29, 2020 at 9:33 p.m. EDT
Krzysztof Penderecki, a composer and conductor whose music evoked religious wonder, apocalyptic terror and the tumultuous history of his native Poland with an emotional intensity that made him a favorite of rock musicians and filmmakers, died March 29 in Krakow, Poland. He was 86.
His death was announced by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, a Polish music organization founded by his wife, Elzbieta. The organization did not give a specific cause, citing only “a long and serious illness.”
Mr. Penderecki (his name was pronounced KSHISH-toff pen-duh-RETS-key) was one of the world’s preeminent composers, known for writing musical lamentations inspired by World War II, the Holocaust, the Polish anti-communist movement and Old Testament religious texts that reflected his Catholic upbringing.
Although he spent much of his career writing music under the yoke of communism, he emerged on the international scene in the 1960s as a bracingly original talent, composing choral and orchestral works that featured quarter tones, indeterminate pitches, rapid glissandi and eerie knocks, shrieks, whistles and sirens. Some of his scores did not specify specific notes; others instructed string musicians to slap their instruments or play behind the bridge.
{snip}
Mr. Penderecki’s otherworldly sounds cropped up repeatedly in moody dramas and horror films, including in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1973), Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980), Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men” (2006) and Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” (2010). In 2017, “Threnody” soundtracked a nuclear-blast sequence in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” reboot.
{snip}
Harrison Smith
Harrison Smith is a reporter on The Washington Post's obituaries desk. Since joining the obituaries section in 2015, he has profiled big-game hunters, fallen dictators and Olympic champions. He sometimes covers the living as well, and previously co-founded the South Side Weekly, a community newspaper in Chicago. Follow https://twitter.com/harrisondsmith
Krzysztof Penderecki, Polish composer known for his foreboding sound, dies at 86
By Harrison Smith
March 29, 2020 at 9:33 p.m. EDT
Krzysztof Penderecki, a composer and conductor whose music evoked religious wonder, apocalyptic terror and the tumultuous history of his native Poland with an emotional intensity that made him a favorite of rock musicians and filmmakers, died March 29 in Krakow, Poland. He was 86.
His death was announced by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, a Polish music organization founded by his wife, Elzbieta. The organization did not give a specific cause, citing only “a long and serious illness.”
Mr. Penderecki (his name was pronounced KSHISH-toff pen-duh-RETS-key) was one of the world’s preeminent composers, known for writing musical lamentations inspired by World War II, the Holocaust, the Polish anti-communist movement and Old Testament religious texts that reflected his Catholic upbringing.
Although he spent much of his career writing music under the yoke of communism, he emerged on the international scene in the 1960s as a bracingly original talent, composing choral and orchestral works that featured quarter tones, indeterminate pitches, rapid glissandi and eerie knocks, shrieks, whistles and sirens. Some of his scores did not specify specific notes; others instructed string musicians to slap their instruments or play behind the bridge.
{snip}
Mr. Penderecki’s otherworldly sounds cropped up repeatedly in moody dramas and horror films, including in William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist” (1973), Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” (1980), Alfonso Cuarón’s “Children of Men” (2006) and Martin Scorsese’s “Shutter Island” (2010). In 2017, “Threnody” soundtracked a nuclear-blast sequence in David Lynch’s “Twin Peaks” reboot.
{snip}
Harrison Smith
Harrison Smith is a reporter on The Washington Post's obituaries desk. Since joining the obituaries section in 2015, he has profiled big-game hunters, fallen dictators and Olympic champions. He sometimes covers the living as well, and previously co-founded the South Side Weekly, a community newspaper in Chicago. Follow https://twitter.com/harrisondsmith
KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI, COMPOSER WHOSE MUSIC WAS USED IN THE SHINING AND CHILDREN OF MEN, DIES AT 86
Contributed by Josh Weiss
@JoshuaHWeiss
Mar 29, 2020
Contributed by Josh Weiss
@JoshuaHWeiss
Mar 29, 2020
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