String Quartet No 3: Childhood & Roots

11/22/21 • 20 min

We explore the traumatic events of Penderecki's upbringing, growing up as a boy in Nazi-German-occupied Poland from the ages of 6 to 12. How was his music a reaction to the events of the Second World War?

Further reading & listening:

Krzysztof Penderecki // bio on Culture.pl
Visit Penderecki's Garden, a digital garden in the composer's honour.

Many thanks to the Penderecki estate for granting us permission to use extended parts of his music. Some of the pieces heard in this episode can be listened to in full elsewhere on the Internet:

Krzysztof Penderecki: String Quartet No. 3 'Leaves from an Unwritten Diary'
Henryk Górecki: Symphony No.3, Op.3
Szymon Laks: Quintet for Piano

Hosted by Jack Pepper

Transcription WCAG

A Polish translation of the audio can be found here.

Further reading & listening:

Krzysztof Penderecki // bio on Culture.pl
Visit Penderecki's Garden, a digital garden in the composer's honour.

Many thanks to the Penderecki estate for granting us permission to use extended parts of his music. Some of the pieces heard in this episode can be listened to in full elsewhere on the Internet:

Krzysztof Penderecki: String Quartet No. 3 'Leaves from an Unwritten Diary'
Henryk Górecki: Symphony No.3, Op.3
Szymon Laks: Quintet for Piano

Hosted by Jack Pepper

Transcription WCAG

A Polish translation of the audio can be found here.

Previous Episode

Introducing the Penderecki's Garden podcast

The late Krzysztof Penderecki was a legend of contemporary music. In this new limited podcast series, hear two famous British journalists, Jack Pepper and Charlotte Gardner, delving into the maestro's iconic work.

Hosting five episodes each, every episode focuses on a single piece from Penderecki's impressive body of work. From the piece itself and the history of its creation, hear interesting stories from the master's biography, the history of Poland, and the world at the time the composition was created. Learn all about the influence of the composer on the world of contemporary culture, and not only on classical music.

Want to learn more about Penderecki? The show is a companion piece to the sitePendereckisGarden.pl.

Next Episode

Aulodia / Ekecheiria: Polish Culture

We explore how Penderecki found a world stage as a commissioned composer for the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. We hear about the struggles Penderecki encountered in finding the right musical language for the commission, chart the internationalism of his work, and explore his wider use of electronics in his music.

Further reading & listening:

Krzysztof Penderecki // bio on Culture.pl
Krzysztof Penderecki: An Album Guide for Beginners // article on Culture.pl
The Musical Milestones of the Polish Radio Experimental Studio // article on Culture.pl
Visit Penderecki's Garden, a digital garden in the composer's honour.

Many thanks to the Penderecki estate for granting us permission to use extended parts of his music. Some of the pieces heard in this episode can be listened to in full elsewhere on the Internet: