Penderecki

[Belle]

Today I saw my physician friend and we discussed music (amongst other things). He asked if I knew Penderecki's music because they were once neighbours in Warsaw and walked their dogs together. He told me he disliked the music, thinking it was for those who composed like that themselves or musical snobs. I told him he was looking at one!!! When I reminded him that he once said he liked Andrew Lloyd-Webber you should have seen the back-tracking!! I did laugh and attempt to dig him out of his hole by saying, "Well, he would have learned much the same way about music that Mozart did!" Sure, I never imagined myself a diplomat!!! OK, he says, so send me something that you think is reasonable to listen to from Penderecki (I told them there would be!).

Ergo, my confreres, if you can help me cheat and find something 'accessible' from Penderecki I'd be very grateful.

[John F]

Back in the 1960s I saw Penderecki's opera "The Devils of Loudun" in Hamburg, a fiercely dissonant work that makes Prokofiev's "Fiery Angel" on a similar theme sound like Puccini. But when Anne-Sophie Mutter played his second violin concerto here in the '90s (it's dedicated to her), I was really surprised because if anything it sounded something like Shostakovich. His style had changed, I thought for the better. Here it is - it's long but I think not too long:


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3jSugm-4VE&t

It's a story something like Schnittke's when he changed from 12-tone composition to polystylism. Did you ever listen to any of his music? I don't believe you've said anything about it.

[Belle]

Thanks for this; I'm completely unfamiliar with Penderecki's music and will listen to your link tomorrow.