Krzysztof Penderecki has died | Hacker News Reader

Krzysztof Penderecki has died

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What an absolute legend, his music was like nothing else that came before. Rest in peace.

In case you're not familiar with his work - one of the best known pieces is the "Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima". Here you can see it overlaid on top of the notation he had invented to write this composition down: https://youtu.be/HilGthRhwP8

Wikipedia page on the piece: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Threnody_to_the_Victims_of_H...

My friend used to have a playlist on iTunes called "sleep mix". 3-4 hours of lullabies, Satie, harp music, etc.

The last track? The Penderecki Threnody

RIP

"Ah fuck it, I guess I'm not going to sleep anyways..."

I’ll never forget being introduced to this piece in my first semester of music college. It was at the weekly composition departmental, we were going to listen to a few pieces and discuss. When the professor played this it shattered my naive jazz/classical/pop perception of composition!

What a colossal effort to make this animation! I'm seriously impressed. Thank you for pointing this out.

that video really shows what orchestration means.

This used to be my ringtone back in the days before everything went on vibrate. Got a lot of pained expressions from people!

For another amazing visual accompaniment to this amazing piece, see David Lynch's take from S3E8 of the "new" Twin Peaks.

I don’t get this at all.

It’s unlistenable. Dreadful. Who considers this music and why? What’s the point of it?

What am I missing?

You're missing the part where art is subjective and not all of it has to appeal to your particular aesthetic sensibilities.

it wasnt exactly written for easy listening, it represents the instantaneous annihilation of life on the largest scale the world has ever seen.

also, when it says for the victims of hiroshima, it doesnt mean for them to listen to. its a piece for their experience to speak to the world. its an honorary for the victims, directed at those who werent. its open to interpretation though

> it wasnt exactly written for easy listening, it represents the instantaneous annihilation of life on the largest scale the world has ever seen.

As is well known (or should be), Penderecki wrote the piece initially as purely abstract music, a study in sound. The title referencing Hiroshima was only applied to the piece later.

it's point is that it is provokes strong emotions and it's amazing at it.

The first piece of his I heard is still my favorite: "Stabat Mater" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f403XsOAFXE

It uses such a great palette of composition techniques — gregorian chant, unison passages, clusters (the bell-like effects he achieves with clusters are my favorite part of the piece), up to the surprise effect at the end.

Fans of David Lynch’s work will recognize Penderecki’s “Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima” as the soundtrack to “Twin Peaks: The Return” (in)famous Episode 8:

https://robertsabinbass.blog/2017/09/20/this-is-the-water-an...

Right before the Corona lockdown there was a concert announced with him as conductor, for a late piece of him. About a month ago. In our city which is about an hour away from the place where he lives in Poland. Unfortunately he didn't show up. We already thought, how bad, he's probably not feeling well. I had this bad feeling already then.

One of the real banner carriers for contemporary orchestral music. Rip.

I never hear anyone mention his Capriccio for Violin and Orchestra, which I tend to think is kind of a masterpiece of its type, for what that's worth.

https://youtu.be/axVXBZBBUPM

The Cello concerto no. 2 is his first work I listened to and still holds a special place for me:

https://youtu.be/ApJU2QbbXpc

Time to play Lacrimosa.

My first thought was: "Has this death relation to Covid-19?"

And just found an answer:[0]

> Penderecki had been tested for coronavirus after his carer was diagnosed with the illness, but the composer's result was negative, his daughter Beata Penderecka told Reuters.[1]

> Part of the family had been under quarantine at home after attending a family meeting on March 7, Penderecka said. Several people present later tested positive for coronavirus.

> Elzbieta Penderecka, the composer's wife tested negative, Beata Penderecka said.

UPD: On Wikipedia there no info about his "long illness".[2]

JFTR, My Personal Opinion: Tests which used now around the world for Covid-19 testing has NO 100% guaranties on its results.

[0] https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2020/03/29/polish-compos...

[1] https://www.reuters.com/article/poland-music-penderecki/upda...

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2020#29

> My first thought was: "Has this death relation to Covid-19?"

Oh come on, he was 86. At that age virtually anything and everything can cause one to die.

Penderecki's "long illness" has been common knowledge in the classical music world for some time now, and the composer has been forced to cancel many engagements and commissions over the last couple of years due to ill health, well before Covid-19 was ever a thing.

> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deaths_in_2020#29

That wikipedia link has 108 references to COVID-19, wow...

I was going to point out that some deaths may be more likely to be included in the list because they died of COVID-19, but fuck, that does not seem to be the case. Genuinely terrifying.

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