This new release from DUX presents a tribute to the life and works of Polish composer Krysztof Penderecki, including world premiere recordings of several his works. The works are performed here by the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot under the direction of conductor Rafal Janiak. "Thanks to the trust of Director Professor Wojciech Rajski, once again, I had the honour of making a recording with the participation of excellent musicians of the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Orchestra Sopot. This album is a tribute of that institution to Professor Krzysztof Penderecki. His oeuvre has always been and will be present in both concert and recording programmes of the ensemble.
The repertoire concept of this album was about showing the path of development of the compositional master, whose beginning dates back to his studies in the class of Professor Artur Malawski (Toccata), through the diploma work of Krzysztof Penderecki himself written before the memorable Polish Composers' Union competition (Epitafium Artur Malawski in memoriam ? world premiere recording), finally, a composition of Joanna Wnuk-Nazarowa, an outstanding student of Penderecki (Lamento ? world premiere recording), to the masterpieces of her mentor: Sinfonietta No. 2 (version for oboe and string orchestra, with the participation of Mariusz Pedzialek, who premiered this version ? world premiere recording) and Sinfonietta No. 3 ? his last composition for string orchestra.
Therefore, we are taking you on an extraordinary musical journey during which you will be able to see the diversity and evolution of Krzysztof Penderecki's compositional style as well as to look at it through the prism of the contexts that determined it and of the contexts that were influenced by it." ? Rafal Janiak