Krzysztof Penderecki (b.1933)
Orchestral Works Vol. 2
Symphonies Nos. 1 & 5

Although Krysztof Penderecki has long been recognized for his operas (The Devils of Loudun, 1969; Paradise Lost, 1978; The Black Mask, 1986; Ubu, 1991) and large-scale choral works (St Luke Passion, 1965; Utrenja, 1971; Te Deum, 1979; Polish Requiem, 1984 and Credo, 1998), recognition as a symphonic writer came belatedly. This is partly because up until the early 1970s, the immediacy and physicality of his orchestral works was paralleled by their general brevity (the three pieces accompanying Symphony No. 3 on Volume 1 of this series [Naxos 8.554491] exemplify these qualities). Yet as the First Symphony proves, the gestural nature of his earlier music was susceptible to a considerable degree of long-term, 'symphonic' development.

Symphony No. 1, in four continuous sections,