Polish composer Penderecki receives Grammy
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
13.02.2017 10:27
Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki has received a Grammy in the Best Choral Performance category for the CD “Penderecki Conducts Penderecki” recorded by the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus.
Krzysztof Penderecki, pictured last year. Photo: PAP/Jakub Kaczmarczyk
The awards ceremony was held in Los Angeles.
The CD features a selection of Penderecki’s choral works, from the Psalms of David written in 1958 to Dies Illa, composed in 2014 for the centenary of World War I.
Penderecki, who turned 83 last November, is among the most prominent living composers. His vast output includes operas, orchestral, chamber and choral works, large-scale vocal-instrumental compositions and solo concertos.
He already had four Grammy Awards to his name, in 1988 (for the recording of his Cello Concerto with Mstislav Rostropovich); in 1999 (for his Violin Concerto performed by Anne Sophie Mutter with the London Symphony Orchestra); in 2001 (for his choral work Credo); and in 2013 (for a selection of his orchestral works recorded by the Warsaw Philharmonic under Antoni Wit).
His long list of honours and distinctions also includes the Sibelius Prize and the award of the UNESCO International Music Council. He has received honorary doctorates from many universities. He has also had a successful career as a conductor. (mk/pk)