Penderecki's Garden

The late Krzysztof Penderecki was a legend of contemporary music. In this new limited podcast series, hear two famous British journalists, Jack Pepper and Charlotte Gardner, delving into the maestro's iconic work.

Hosting five episodes each, every episode focuses on a single piece from Penderecki's impressive body of work. From the piece itself and the history of its creation, hear interesting stories from the master's biography, the history of Poland, and the world at the time the composition was created. Learn all about the influence of the composer on the world of contemporary culture, and not only on classical music.

Want to learn more about Penderecki? The show is a companion piece to the site PendereckisGarden.pl.

Metamorphosen: Creativity and Intimacy

Feb 28, 2022

Metamorphosen, Penderecki’s Second Violin Concerto, was written for the German violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter between 1992 and 1995. Drawing on the contrasts between this work and the First Violin Concerto, which was premiered by Isaac Stern in 1977, and contextualising Metamorphosen with the Second Violin Sonata and La...

The Devils of Loudun/Ubu Rex: Possession and Laughter

Feb 14, 2022

The two most famous operas by Penderecki offer a dazzling contrast in style and subject. Where The Devils of Loudun, premiered in 1969, translates Aldous Huxley’s history of religious possession and persecution in music of unsettling sensuality and brutality, the opera buffa, Ubu Rex, premiered in 1991, wraps a satire...