Movie Soundtrack Composer Krysztof Penderecki Died at age 86

Polish movie soundtrack composer Krzysztof Penderecki, died last Sunday at the age of 86. NPR reported that the Polish Ministry of Affairs announced the death of the composer via Twitter. CNN and Variety quoted the Ludwig van Beethoven Association which said that the composer has a "long and serious illness." It was also confirmed by the association's president Andrezej Giza. The association, founded by his wife Elzbieta Penderecka, described him as "an eminent artist, humanist, (and) one of the world's best known and most acclaimed Polish composers."

Penderecki was survived by Elzbieta and their children, a son and two daughters.

The Jakarta Post reported that he was tested for coronavirus but he was negative, as his daughter Beata told Reuters. His wife was also negative. They had been put into quarantine after attending a family meeting last March 7, where some guests tested positive for the virus.

About Penderecki

Penderecki was born on November 23, 1933 in Debica, Poland and studied the course of composition at the Academy of Music in Krakow. He also became a music teacher in the same academy after his graduation. When he was a student, his works had won awards from labor groups in the country. Penderecki became part of new composers that managed to survive under the communist rule in Poland. In the 1960s, he was put into the world's spotlight when he composed "Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima," a lamentation piece dedicated to the victims of the atomic bombing in Japan in 1945.

The piece was given an award from UNESCO. His later works were also recognized including "St. Luke Passion" which won Westphalia and Italia prizeds, while the "Fourth Symphony" got him the Grawemeyer Award. Threnody would later be used as a soundtrack for films like the 2006 movie "Children of Men" and the episodes of "Twin Peaks" and "Black Mirror."

Penderecki is also known for his soundtracks that are used in films that are mostly suspense. Some of the music he composed were used for movies like "The Exorcist," "The Shining," and "Wild at Heart."

Penderecki also awarded a Grammy for his music, the latest being the best choral performance in 2016.

The Industry Mourns

Artists offered condolences following the death of Panderecki.

Jonny Greenwood, a fan of Penderecki and guitarist of band Radiohead saddened the death of the composer. "Penderecki was the greatest - a fiercely creative composer, and a gentle, warm-hearted man," he tweeted. "My condolences to his family, and to Poland on this huge loss to the musical world," Greenwood added.

Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter also lamented the death of the composer. She made a post on Facebook about what she felt about his death. "The loss of Krzysztof Penderecki leaves a huge void in my heart as well as an enormous one for all musicians and music lovers around the globe," she wrote on her Facebook account.

The Polish Cultural Institute of New York reacted on his death. They said that he left a legacy in music because of Penderecki's deep humanistic language and the unique dramatic structure of his compositions, which made him popular globally.

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