BBC Proms · Season 37 · Episode 5

Krzysztof Penderecki: St Luke Passion

Saturday, August 20

Recorded from this year's Proms season at the Royal Albert Hall with Marie Slorach (soprano), Stephen Roberts (baritone), Michael Rippon (bass), David Wilson-Johnson (speaker), BBC Singers, BBC Symphony Chorus, chorus-master Brian Wright, Choristers of Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford, musical director Francis Grier, BBC Symphony Orchestra, leader Bela Dekany, conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki Introduced by Richard Baker who also talks to Penderecki before the performance. This fine work by one of the leading figures in Polish contemporary music was given its first performance in 1966 to celebrate the 700th anniversary of Münster Cathedral when the composer was 33. Scored for large choral and orchestral forces, it gives a graphic account of the Passion story while the range and textures of voices and instruments are extensively exploited to convey its intense drama and grief.