Jonny Greenwood answers Penderecki's Polymorphia in Wroclaw

Jonny Greenwood's “48 Responses to Polymorphia” had its world premiere at the European Culture Congress in Wroclaw on Friday, with Krzysztof Penderecki on stage. It answers Penderecki's Polymorphia, written for 48 strings in 1961. The AUKSO Chamber Orchestra played, with Marek Mos conducting Greenwood's piece.

Greenwood told Polish Radio before the concert that Penderecki is a hero to him. For me he's a real hero, because he learnt about electronic music and then went back to the orchestra, and made all these magical sounds using very old-fashioned technology². The admiration goes back to his college days, when he stood at the front of a concert Penderecki conducted and was the only person on his feet applauding at the end. I have to put up with Penderecki looking at me because I've stolen so many of his ideas², he said of the premiere.

The programme ran over two concerts and set Penderecki's string works from 1960 to 1962, Polymorphia, the Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima and the Canon for strings and tape, beside the new responses. Penderecki later recalled about 9,000 young people in the hall, most of whom had never heard his music.

On Saturday Richard D. James, as Aphex Twin, premiered his own answer to Polymorphia, “Polymorphia Reloaded”, and a remix of the Threnody; he once told Kludge magazine that he would not play with Radiohead because he did not like them. Greenwood's weekend ended in Krakow on Sunday, where he played Steve Reich's “Electric Counterpoint”, a 1987 piece for a guitarist playing against recordings of more guitars, at the opening concert of the Sacrum Profanum festival.

Greenwood's weekend in Poland

Penderecki and Greenwood concert, European Culture Congress, Wroclaw, September 2011 (opening, from the film Penderecki Reloaded)· NINATEKA.PLwatch on youtube →