Turn the volume up!
Krzysztof Penderecki, who died in 2020, was a highly decorated Polish composer and conductor. Originally a champion of the avant-guard, over time, he shifted away from experimentation towards tonality, stating that he was ‘saved from the avant-garde snare of formalism by a return to tradition’. Despite leaning towards tradition, however, his compositions, which are usually large-scale, can be complex and challenging. The one piano concerto he composed, in response to the 9/11 attacks on America, has a torturous intricacy and can be a difficult, if exciting, listen. The title ‘Resurrection’ refers to a wonderfully concordal tonal theme that recurs, or ‘resurrects’, in a variety of forms throughout the piece. The moment chosen here, from the third movement, is this theme in its most dramatic and unashamedly flamboyant incarnation. Surely one of the great fanfares of music, it bursts out of the score in great arcs of sound to amaze us and envelope us in golden tonality, a triumphant ray of light amongst dark striving energies. Below is the same moment, recorded in performance, although here the theme is lost somewhat in the mix.
West Folio 