Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki
Performer: Polski Chór Kameralny
Conductor: Jan Łukaszewski
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Dux
Catalogue: DUX0694
Release: 2009
Size: 187 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
Magnificat
01. Sicut locutus
02. Stabat Mater
03. Song of Cherubim
04. Veni creator
St. Luke Passion (text by Bible – Old Testament)
05. Part I: Ut quid, Domine (Psalm 9)
Sanctus and Benedictus
06. Sanctus
07. Benedictus
08. Benedicamus Domino
St. Luke Passion (text by Bible – Old Testament)
09. Part I: Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 55)
10. Benedictum Dominum
Symphony No. 7, ‘7 Gates of Jerusalem’
11. III. De profundis
St. Luke Passion (text by Bible – Old Testament)
12. Part II: … in pulverem mortis (Psalm 21)
A Polish Requiem
13. Agnus Dei
Aus den Psalmen Davids
14. Psalm 30, “Exaltabo te, Domine”
15. Kaczka pstra (The Speckled Duck)
3 Pieces in Old Style (arr. for chorus)
16. No. 1. Aria (arr. for chorus)
Looking at Penderecki’s choral output, one cannot help noticing that in comparison with other, highly diverse forms of his artistic utterance, it constitutes the most homogenous whole. All of Penderecki’s acappella choral compositions on this CD go a long way to show that reconciling broadly-understood traditions with openness to contemporary avant-garde trends is possible and can bring aesthetically impressive results.
For fans of Polish post-modernist Krzysztof Penderecki, this disc of his complete a cappella choral music, performed by Polski Chór Kameralny under the direction of Jan Lukaszewski, will be mandatory listening. Penderecki’s music has been performed and honored in his native country for more than four decades, and these artists bring both enthusiasm and authority to their performances. Instead of being presented in chronological order, the pieces are mixed so that the composer’s many styles are juxtaposed. The extreme expressivity of the In pulverem mortis from his 1965 St. Luke Passion, for example, appears alongside the intense austerity of the Agnus Dei from his 1981 Polish Requiem. This strategy works to the composer’s advantage since it continually surprises the listeners, constantly keeping them alert and involved. The Polski Chór Kameralny sings with impeccable intonation and flawless diction despite the music’s extraordinary demands, and Lukaszewski directs them with consummate mastery and interprets the music with complete sympathy. Recorded in startlingly vivid digital sound, this disc is in its way ideal.