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Krzysztof Penderecki's Dimensions of Time and Silence with the String Orchestra of Brooklyn

Jun. 04, 2015

Krzysztof Penderecki's <em>Dimensions of Time and Silence</em> with the String Orchestra of Brooklyn

On June 25, the String Orchestra of Brooklyn presents Krzysztof Penderecki’s rarely performed Dimensions of Time and Silence along with Morton Feldman’s masterpiece Rothko Chapel and the premiere of PSNY composer Scott Wollschleger’s Meditations on Dust, for piano and string orchestra. Artistic director and conductor Eli Spindel leads the orchestra at Roulette Intermedium in Brooklyn, New York, joined by Ghostlight Chorus and Iktus Percussion.

Written in 1959 and revised in 1961, Penderecki’s Dimensions of Time and Silence combines a modest string orchestra with a large 40-part chorus of mixed voices and an extensive percussion battery distributed among four players. The piece was written in his early compositional period marked by harsh, dense textures and dissonant harmonic structures, similar to his landmark avant-garde works Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima (1960) and Polymorphia (1961).

Conversely, Rothko Chapel from 1971 distills Feldman’s iconic aesthetic of capaciousness and transparency. A mixed choir with soprano and alto soloists is supported by a sparse ensemble of celeste, viola, and percussion. The piece is an emotionally poignant elegy for the American painter Mark Rothko, a friend of Feldman who committed suicide in 1970.

The program also features the premiere of Scott Wollschleger’s concerto for piano and string orchestra Meditations on Dust, commissioned by the String Orchestra of Brooklyn, featuring Karl Larson as soloist.

For more information on Krzysztof Penderecki, visit schott-music.com.

For more information on Morton Feldman, visit universaledition.com.

Tickets and concert information can be found at thesob.org.

Krzysztof Penderecki
Dimensions of Time and Silence (1959, rev. 1961)
4perc-hp.cel-pno-str(6.0.4.4.2)
15’

Polymorphia (1961)
for 48 strings (24.0.8.8.8)
10’

Morton Feldman
Rothko Chapel (1971)
for soprano, alto, mixed choir, percussion, celeste, and viola
30’

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