Krzysztof Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion (1965) is one of the high points in the work of the Polish composer and one of the central music pieces of the 20th century. Turning to the archaic, seemingly outdated genre of passion, Penderecky created a piece for chorus and orchestra with a most powerful emotional impact, which depicts the last days and passion of Christ. However the work is not confined to religious content; it emphasizes the generalized meaning of the theme of martyrdom and makes it possible to draw a parallel with the tragic events of the 20th century. ”The St. Luke Passion is not only about the passion and death of Christ, but also about the passion of Auschwitz, the tragic experience of humanity in the second half of the 20th century. And in this context the Passion should have (anyway, I aspired to it) a universal, humanist nature, as Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima,” said Penderecki in an interview.
Penderecki’s St. Luke Passion was written to the 700th anniversary of the Münster Cathedral (Germany). According to the composer, he always wanted to compose Passion…, but never spoke about it. Penderecki worked on the piece for 4 years. Proceeding from the Bach form, the composer filled it with modern theatrical effects. ”I wanted the audience to be involved in the very centre of the events, through music’s tensions and drama, like in a medieval mysterium where no one stood aside.”
The premiere on March 30, 1966, at the Münster Cathedral was an absolute success. During the following decade the piece was performed many times and won prestigious musical awards.
This year we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first performance of The St. Luke Passion.
Krzysztof Penderecki, a composer:
”In March we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the first performance of St Luke Passion. The piece was first performed in Munster,Germany; the conductor was Henrik Chizh. In June of 2016 my Passion will be presented by the Novaya Opera.
I compose a lot of sacred music; now it is returning. In the 1960s it was seldom performed, even in Poland, not to speak of Russia. Today I can perform it in Russia and I really love it!” (TASS)
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