Krzyzstof Penderecki, Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir And Orchestra, Antoni W - St Luke Passion
STYLE: Classical RATING OUR PRODUCT CODE: 9339- LABEL: Naxos 8557149 FORMAT: CD Album ITEMS: 1
Reviewed by Steven Whitehead
This disc should carry a warning sticker as it should not be allowed to come into the hands of those who have a nervous disposition. In the correct sense of the words it is both awful and awesome; more, it is dreadful and shocking. And so it should be for it reminds us of the day in which the Son of God laid down his life. In this Passion, written in 1965, the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki takes as his model the Passions of Bach, relating the events leading up to the crucifixion in a sequence of narratives, arias and choruses. The texts are from a variety of sources but Luke's Gospel predominates. They are in Latin with a translation supplied in the booklet. The musicianship is outstanding but it is the composition that dominates. This does not have the beauty of a Bach Passion. This is an impression of the crucifixion that brings out the horror, the desolation, the agony and the reality. Hear it and weep.
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