Performed by: Conductor Master Krzysztof Penderecki and others
Venue: Concert Hall, Wenzhou Grand Theater
Time: 19:30, January 5th, 2017
Ticket Price (RMB): 280, 380, 480, 580, 680, 880

Well-known as the “contemporary Beethoven” and “the last composer master in the twentieth century”, Penderecki is one of the most famous and important composers of the twentieth century and has conducted almost all of the famous orchestras all over the world. He acts as the long-time conductor of the North German Philharmonic Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the art director of many concerts.

Born in 1933, Penderecki composed a piece for 52 string instruments at the age of 27. It is not rare for works made for large musical instruments but it is rare for creation for such large quantities of instruments (24 violins, 10 violas, 10 cellos and 8 basses)with homogeneous timber.

Many said that the work describes the battle scenes of Hiroshima during the Second World War. The string instruments clamoring is like the alarm whistling, declaring the impending disaster while the tutti indicates the roaring of aircraft and artillery. However, the original title actually is “For 52 Pieces of String Instruments”. The name “Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima” was added when the piece was performed in Japan by the Poland National Orchestra. But whether the work should be enjoyed with an imaginary picture synaesthetically is a matter of opinion. Many people would refuse it physically when listening.

In form, the new music logic shows the convergence of western arts to non-western cultures and arts.

In content, the work is an introspection of the western reason spirit when developing to acme and is at the same time a further exploration of reason spirit; it reflects the dilemma and perplexity the western world fell into when thinking directly and thoroughly with the reason spirit; it is a new thought of the environment of human existence under the high development of science and society; it implies the sorrow for the environmental destruction caused by human beings advocating conquering the nature in the modern society; it reflects the contradictions between western cultures and non-western cultures as well as the opposition between human beings and nature generated as the western culture becoming the world mainstream culture. It seems that after experiencing the “diverse choices”, music in the twentieth century falls into the free abyss again to some extent.