Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima

Speaking of noise, I can still remember the first time I listened to Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima. It would have been during a music lesson in Year 7/8 at Churnet View Middle School. I was around 11/12 years old. It's such a haunting yet beautiful piece of music. So expressive. The Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki wrote the piece in his twenties. It was first performed in the early sixties. I love the inventive use of the 52 string instruments to create the desired effect. The finale is a pure cacophony of noise. If you haven't heard it, I would definitely recommend checking it out.

I attended a concert at the Barbican in March. The following pieces performed by the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra of the City of Tychy:

• Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima - Krzysztof Penderecki (1960-61)
• Popcorn Superhet Receiver - Jonny Greenwood (2005)
• Polymorphia - Krzysztof Penderecki (1961)
• 48 Responses to Polymorphia - Jonny Greenwood (2011)

The first and third pieces were conducted by Penderecki himself. The second and fourth pieces were conducted by Marek Mos, whilst Jonny took a bow at the end.

It was a pretty magical evening. The Penderecki pieces were phenomenal. Really enjoyed the performance and the visuals. To be honest, I also really rate Popcorn Superhet Receiver. Interestingly excerpts form the basis of the soundtrack for There Will Be Blood. It definitely stood alongside the two Penderecki pieces. You can see the influence that Penderecki has had on Greenwood as a fledgling composer. 48 Responses to Polymorphia, a piece commissioned specifically for this collaboration (that originally took place at the European Culture Congress in Wrocław on 9 September 2011), was a little disappointing. There were some good ideas, but it did meander somewhat.

A recording of the four pieces by the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra has been released on CD.