Name: Penderecki, K.: St. Luke Passion by Antoni Wit
Brand: Antoni Wit
SKU: 747313214921
Price: 9.9 USD
Availability: OnlineOnly
Rating: 3 (189 reviews)

ALBUM

Krzysztof Penderecki's St. Luke Passion (Passio et mors Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Lucam) is considered by many to be a landmark work in the history of twentieth century. One would not know that from the degree to which the work has been recorded; since its 1965 premiere, the St. Luke Passion has only been recorded in its entirety three times. This includes the original 1966 Polish recording under Henryk Czyz, a recording for Argo under the composer made in 1989, and finally a live performance led by Marc Soustrot for MD&G in 1999. Thus, Naxos' Penderecki: St. Luke Passion, recorded in 2002, is only the fourth entry in the slim Penderecki St. Luke Passion sweepstakes. Conductor Antoni Wit takes the Warsaw National Philharmonic Choir & Orchestra by the hand and leads it through this difficult and treacherous score.
Wit is an old hand with anything Penderecki, having already recorded all of Penderecki's orchestral music on three Naxos volumes. Wit manages to keep the orchestra together and in one voice, and the chorus is splendid, ululating, exploding, and wailing ecstatically just as Penderecki requires it to. Vocal soloists Izabella Klosinska, Adam Kruszewski, and Jaroslaw Malanowicz are a bit of a drag on the proceedings. All three seem barely up to their parts and happy just to get through them without bursting their lungs. The recording is also a little distant and balanced toward extremes of volume -- soft passages are barely audible, whereas loud ones tear your head off.
Landmark work or not, one can easily see why Penderecki's St. Luke Passion isn't recorded with more frequency. It is big, expensive, and difficult to perform and a real challenge for the listener. Conventional wisdom dictates that Penderecki's own 1989 recording of the St. Luke Passion is the best on records, and the Wit, while good, doesn't quite rise to the challenge. Nevertheless, in a pinch, especially as the Penderecki performance no longer seems to be available, the Naxos is a viable option, and one can't beat the asking price.

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Penderecki, K.: St. Luke Passion

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1. St. Luke Passion: Part I: O Crux ave (Hymn 'Vexilla Regis prodeunt')

2. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Et egressus (St. Luke)

3. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Deus meus (Psalm 21)

4. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Domine, quis habitabit (Psalms 14, 4 & 15)

5. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Adhuc eo loquente (St. Luke)

6. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Ierusalem (Lamentation of Jeremiah)

7. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Ut quid, Domine (Psalm 9)

8. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Comprehendentes autem eum (St. Luke)

9. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Iudica me, Deus (Psalm 42)

10. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Et viri, qui tenebant illum (St. Luke)

11. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Ierusalem (Lamentation of Jeremiah)

12. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Miserere mei, Deus (Psalm 55)

13. St. Luke Passion: Part I: Et surgens omnis (St. Luke)

14. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Et in pulverem (Psalm 21)

15. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Et baiulans sibi crucem (St. Luke)

16. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Popule meus (Improperia)

17. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Ibi crucifixerunt eum (St. Luke)

18. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Crux fidelis (Antiphons from 'Pange lingua')

19. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Dividentes vero (St. Luke)

20. St. Luke Passion: Part II: ...in pulverem mortis (Psalm 21)

21. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Et stabat populus (St. Luke)

22. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Unus autem (St. Luke)

23. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Stabant autem iuxta crucem (St. John)

24. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Stabat Mater (Sequence)

25. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Erat autem fere hora sexta (St. Luke, St. John)

26. St. Luke Passion: Part II: Alla breve

27. St. Luke Passion: Part II: In pulverem mortis... / In te, Domine, speravi (Psalm 30)

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