tomekkobialka | Utrenja (Highlights) - Part 1 "The Entombment of Christ" @tomekkobialka | Uploaded June 2012 | Updated October 2024, 1 week ago.
One of the giants of avant-garde orchestral/choral music, by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. This comes from Andrzej Markowski's recording, released in 1973. This is a squashed version of the original, where you can hear some of the work's highlights.
"Penderecki the devout Roman Catholic and Penderecki the avant-garde innovator come face-to-face in Utrenja, a work completed in 1971. (Initially, the work consisted of only the first part, "The Entombment of Christ," but Penderecki added "The Resurrection of Christ" a year later.) This is a demanding work, scored for orchestra and two mixed choirs, boys' choir, and several soloists. The libretto is based on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday services in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and in addition to Old Slavonic texts, the composer sets Latin and Greek. In Utrenja, Penderecki seems eager to capture not just the mysticism and fierce beauty of the Eastern Orthodox services, but also the terror and glory of Christ's resurrection. The music at times is so powerful, and even savage, it can strike the unwary listener as more demonic than divine. Film director Stanley Kubrick recognized this; he used the beginning of "The Resurrection of Christ" in the horrific climax of The Shining. I wonder if he considered the irony!"
One of the giants of avant-garde orchestral/choral music, by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. This comes from Andrzej Markowski's recording, released in 1973. This is a squashed version of the original, where you can hear some of the work's highlights.
"Penderecki the devout Roman Catholic and Penderecki the avant-garde innovator come face-to-face in Utrenja, a work completed in 1971. (Initially, the work consisted of only the first part, "The Entombment of Christ," but Penderecki added "The Resurrection of Christ" a year later.) This is a demanding work, scored for orchestra and two mixed choirs, boys' choir, and several soloists. The libretto is based on Holy Saturday and Easter Sunday services in the Eastern Orthodox Church, and in addition to Old Slavonic texts, the composer sets Latin and Greek. In Utrenja, Penderecki seems eager to capture not just the mysticism and fierce beauty of the Eastern Orthodox services, but also the terror and glory of Christ's resurrection. The music at times is so powerful, and even savage, it can strike the unwary listener as more demonic than divine. Film director Stanley Kubrick recognized this; he used the beginning of "The Resurrection of Christ" in the horrific climax of The Shining. I wonder if he considered the irony!"
