Penderecki

Here's my first review of the season, a performance at Florida State of Krzysztof Penderecki's 1998 Credo, with the composer conducting. I wasn't quite brazen enough to mention this blog in my review, but I did mention his 101 piece, the Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima.

Fanboy note: I took a copy of the only Penderecki score I own with me, in case the opportunity for an autograph arose. When I presented it to him, he smiled as if seeing a wayward child, and said "Ahh, Strophes".

Kyle Gann continues to blog righteously on program notes and composer biographical statements. The biographical note on Penderecki was quite long (about four pages of the program). Fortunately, the awards were all listed in place so one could skip over those and read the important stuff about his life and work. The program note for the Credo (not written by the composer) was short--four brief paragraphs--and gave some helpful suggestions for hearing the piece for the first time.