Penderecki, K.: Utrenja

Featuring

Antoni Wit
Iwona Hossa
Agnieszka Rehlis
Piotr Kusiewicz
Piotr Nowacki
Gennady Bezzubenkov

Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
Warsaw Philharmonic Choir
Warsaw Boys Choir
Krzysztof Penderecki

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Composition History

Part Two of Utrenja, 'Resurrection', was commissioned by West German Radio after the premiere of Part One and premiered in Münster on May 28, 1971, also under Andrzej Markowski.

Compositional Technique

Penderecki describes Utrenja as a combination of pure, a cappella vocal writing and orchestral effects for strings and percussion that are very much connected with electronic music.

Composition History

Part One of Utrenja, 'Entombment', was commissioned by West German Radio and premiered in Altenberg on April 8, 1970, under Andrzej Markowski.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Penderecki's Utrenja is inspired by the Orthodox liturgy of Holy Saturday and the Easter Sunday morning service, using an Old Slavonic liturgical text.

Performer Biography

Antoni Wit, one of the conductors on this album, studied conducting with Henryk Czyz and composition with Krzysztof Penderecki, the composer of Utrenja, at the Academy of Music in Kraków.

Composition History

Penderecki's Utrenja, which deals with the events of the Paschal Triduum, forms a triptych with his St Luke Passion, though they were conceived and written separately.

Critical Reception

While the critical reception of Utrenja was equivocal, the response from Polish audiences was tumultuous following a governmental crackdown after the Gdansk shipyard riots.