Krzysztof Penderecki, composer
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
3:00PM | Baird Recital Hall
University at Buffalo is thrilled to
welcome world renowned composer and conductor, Krzysztof Penderecki to speak as part of the on-going Composer
Seminar Series. Maestro Penderecki
will be presenting this talk at the University at Buffalo in addition to his
appearance with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in early December, leading
the orchestra in a program which will center on his Concerto for Violin and Cello. The BPO is also an avid supporter and participant of the
Center's June in Buffalo program.
Maestro Penderecki's biography is as
follows:
 |
| Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki |
Born on November 23, 1933, in Dębica,
Poland, Krzysztof Penderecki began studying composition under Franciszek Skolyszewski.
He later studied at the Krakow Conservatory under Artur Malawski and Stanislaw
Wiechowicz and graduated in 1958. He was then appointed as a professor at the
Conservatory. Between 1966 and 1968, Penderecki was a lecturer at the Volkwang
Hochschule für Musik in Essen, Germany. In 1968, he received a grant from the
German Academic Exchange Organisation — DAAD. He was appointed rector of the
Krakow Conservatory in 1972. In the years between 1972 and 1978, Krzysztof
Penderecki was a professor at the Yale University School of Music.
Krzysztof Penderecki’s first public
appearance on an international level was in 1959 at the Warsaw Autumn Festival.
There he performed Strophen, one of three works for which he received first
prizes at the 2nd National Young Composers Competition. The other two works
were Psalms of David and Emanations.
In 1959, he composed Threnody for the
Victims of Hiroshima. For this, one of his best known and most often performed
compositions, he received the UNESCO prize. This piece was followed by a series
of success: in 1960 at the Donaueschinger Musiktage with Anaklasis, the
following year with Polymorphia, Phonograms, and Psalm, and in 1966, St. Luke
Passion, the first major work of his career.
The following year brought the composition
and performance of another major choral work, Dies Irae, known also as the
Auschwitz Oratorio.
In 1968-69, Penderecki wrote his first
opera, The Devils of Loudun, commissioned by the Hamburg State Opera where it
had its world premiere in 1969.
In 1972, Penderecki began his conducting
career. Since that year, he has been seen on the podiums of the most important
orchestras of the world.
Penderecki completed his Symphony No. 1
in 1973 and led the world premiere at Peterborough in England.
Penderecki’s second stage work, Paradise
Lost — the Sacra Rappresentazione is based on a libretto by Christopher Fry
after Milton. It had its premiere at the Lyric Opera in Chicago on November 29,
1978. In January, 1979, Penderecki conducted a stage production of Paradise
Lost at the Teatro alla Scala in Milan and, having been invited by Pope John
Paul II, gave a concert at the Vatican. The world premiere of Penderecki’s
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra No. 1 took place in Basle in April, 1977 with
Isaac Stern. Zubin Mehta conducted the first performance of the Symphony No. 2
in New York on May 1, 1980.
On January 11, 1983, Penderecki conducted
the premiere of his Concerto for Cello and Orchestra No. 2, performed by the
Berlin Philharmonic with Mstislav Rostropovich as the soloist. It was followed
by the Concerto for Viola and Orchestra which had its world premiere in 1983 in
Caracas, and by the Polish Requiem. The Requiem premiered in 1984 and was
commissioned by the Würtemberg Radio and State Theater to commemorate the
fortieth anniversary of the end of World War II.
The world premiere of Penderecki’s third
opera, The Black Mask, based on the play by Gerhart Hauptmann, was the focus of
attention at the 1986 Salzburg Festival. It was followed by performances in Vienna
and the first U.S. performance took place at the Santa Fe Opera during the
summer of 1988.
In March 1987 Penderecki’s Song of
Cherubim for a cappella choir was premiered at a gala concert given in
Washington D.C. for Mstislav Rostropovich’s 60th birthday. Veni Creator, also
for a cappella choir, was conducted by Penderecki himself when he received an
honorary doctorate from the University of Madrid in 1987. That same year, he
received the Karl-Wolf Award from the Israel Wolf-Foundation.
In 1988 Penderecki received a Grammy
Award for his Concerto for Cello No. 2. In November 1989, Lorin Maazel
conducted Penderecki’s Symphony No. 4, Adagio, commissioned by the French
Government for the bicentennial of the French Revolution.
The premiere of Penderecki’s fourth
opera, King Ubu (based on Alfred Jarry), took place on July 6, 1991 at the
Munich State Opera.
In December 1996 Krzysztof Penderecki
completed Seven Gates of Jerusalem, which closed the celebrations of 3000 years
of Jerusalem. In February 1997 he was awarded the Crystal Award in Davos,
Switzerland. The world premiere of Penderecki’s Hymn to St. Daniil took place
on 4 October 1997 in Moscow. The piece was commissioned by Channel Six of
Moscow Television to mark 850 years of Moscow. Penderecki’s Hymn to St.
Adalbert was written to mark the millennium of Gdańsk and was premiered on 18
October 1997.
In 1999 Krzysztof Penderecki received two
Grammy Awards for Best Classical Contemporary Composition, (Violin Concerto No.
2 – “Metamorphosen” performed by Anne-Sophie Mutter) and for Best Instrumental
Soloist Performance (Penderecki Violin Concerto No. 2 under the composer’s
baton). On 23 January 2000, Krzysztof Penderecki received the “Best Living
Composer” award at the Midem Classic in Cannes and in October 2000 an honorary
doctorate from the University of Luzern.
In October 2001 the Jury of the Principe
de Asturias Foundation awarded him the prestigious Principe de Asturias de las
Artes Award 2001. In December, Krzysztof Penderecki became an honorary member
of the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts in Hong Kong.
In 2005, Penderecki was awarded the Order
of the White Eagle — Poland’s highest decoration. In 2006 he received the Three
Star Order in Latvia. In autumn 2007 the composer became the Honorary Professor
of St. Petersburg Rimsky- Korsakov State Conservatory and in 2008, the Honorary
Professor of Yerevan Komitas State Conservatory. On 14 April 2008, Penderecki
received the “Orły 2008” Award for his music for Andrzej Wajda’s film Katyń.
In 2009, Penderecki received the Ordre de
Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxemburg and an Honorary Order from the President of
the Republic of Armenia. (Biography credited to the webpage of Krzysztof Penderecki
and the BPO)
-
We hope to see you Tuesday afternoon with
Krzysztof Penderecki!
Maestro Penderecki's conducting of the
BPO is Saturday, December 3 at 8:00PM with a beginning lecture at 7:00PM. Visit www.bpo.org for ticket information.
