Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki has passed away
It is very difficult to accept the fact that the Maestro has passed away. He has always been with us after all, and we were under the illusion that he would always be here for us. The death of Krzysztof Penderecki has left the whole musical world in mourning. Millions of music lovers knew his work from concerts and recordings, and many admired him as a conductor of his own works and those of others.
For the Jerzy Semkow Polish Sinfonia Iuventus Orchestra, however, he was a much more familiar figure than any of the monumental maestros observed from afar.
He has been with us from the beginning – he trusted our competences, talents and commitment by entrusting us with performance of his works. He worked with us as a conductor and mentor, and had been our Honorary Patron since 2013. The ensemble recorded the complete set of his symphonies (6 CDs, 2010-2012), with the composer as the conductor, and his solo concerts (6 CDs, 2014-2016). Selected recordings from this series have been honoured with distinctions, including the International Classical Music Award (2014 and 2016). In 2019 we were overjoyed to record two more albums with his concertos – it turns out they were ones of the last recordings with the Maestro as conductor …
But a great artist never dies – his wonderful works will remain with us and return in the ensemble’s repertoire and our joint recordings will continue to delight us with their diversity of invention and sound, carrying across sincere emotions and the message of the most beautiful humanitarianism. Our personal memories, respect and gratitude will remain forever.
We offer our deepest condolences to the Maestro’s wife and family.