Krzysztof PENDERECKI (b.1933)
Viola Concerto (1983) [20:21]
Cello Concerto No. 2 (1982) [37:12]
Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Antoni Wit
rec. Warsaw Philharmonic Hall, Warsaw, 2-5 September 2008. DDD
NAXOS 8.572211 [57:33]
The two concertos collected on this disc are intense works for solo instruments
and orchestra. Both were composed around the same time. Both are continuous,
with the series of sections approximately the same: seven for the Viola Concerto
and eight for Cello Concerto no. 2. The performances recorded here are compelling
for the intensity they evoke.
Of the two, the Viola Concerto merits attention as an excellent twentieth
century contribution to the genre. In contrast to the conventional multi-movement
structure associated with concertos, this continuous score stands apart on
account of the drive it sustains from the opening section to the final one.
At its core is the alternation between the contrasting passages for solo instrument
and full orchestra. There is a real interplay of textures here and Penderecki’s
ideas emerge from the sonorities at the opening for solo instrument and from
the initial passage for orchestra. While the work starts and ends in a solemn,
somewhat somber mode, the contrasting sections suggest arch-form. The impression
is underlined by the Scherzo-like passages in the Meno mosso and
Vivo sections. Those passages have a lighter character which allows
soloist Grigori Zhislin to demonstration his facility and Wit to shape the
entire piece convincingly.
A more extroverted work, Penderecki’s Cello Concerto no. 2 is impressive for
its powerful musical invention. Part of the attraction is the way in which
the timbres and musical ideas fit each other so well. The idiomatic character
of the solo part adroitly and effectively complements the character of the
cello. Within the eight sections of this Concerto, Penderecki plays on the
outlines of conventional structure to evoke the sense of a sonata movement;
thus the slow introduction leads naturally to the Vivo that comes
after it. While breaking from conventional concerto format, Penderecki establishes
other structural relationships. This approach allows him to renew the role
of the cello, playing, at times on concertante-like sections, as with the
Allegretto. This is an engaging work that invites re-hearings to appreciate
more thoroughly the various elements of the solo line, the orchestral voice,
and the various intersecting combinations of instruments.
This recording offers a side of Penderecki which deserves hearing. While the
two works collected here are not of the same magnitude, the composer’s use
of various sections to create new structures anticipates the ways in which
he would do this on a larger scale in his Seventh Symphony “The Gates of Jerusalem”.
In the two concertos found here, though, the works are more contained and
they are well worth exploring.
James L Zychowicz
These two concertos are well worth exploring.