Krzysztof Penderecki, one of  the world’s most renowned composers, is currently working on a commission from The National Fryderyk Chopin Institute.

The work is a cycle of twenty one songs, settings to verse by Polish poets, for three voices (soprano, mezzo-soprano and baritone), choir and orchestra. The work is to be premiered at the beginning of 2011 at a gala concert marking the end of the Chopin Year, the 200th anniversary of the composer’s birth. 

In an interview for Polish Radio’s Information Agency IAR, Penderecki said that he has gone through  almost 7, 000 pages of  poetry to select the texts for the songs.  He has decided to use verse by such poets as Adam Mickiewicz,  Cyprian Kamil Norwid, Tadeusz Myciński, Aleksander Wat, Kazimierz Wierzyński, Kazimierz Przerwa-Tetmajer and Zbigniew Herbert.  He did not want to disclose the names of the singers who will perform the solo parts.

Krzysztof Penderecki is seventy seven years old. His music has  evolved from the experimental, sonorous works of original colours, in which he employed unconventional articulation techniques, to pieces inspired by the late-Romantic style. (mk)