Utrenja

Utrenja, alternatively spelled as Utrenia,Utrenya, or Jutrznia, and also incorrectly named Matins, is a set of two liturgical compositions by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. They were composed and premiered in 1970 and 1971.

Following his Stabat Mater, Penderecki garnered certain fame in avant-garde circles, though, in respect to his upcoming radicalism and emotional directness in his orchestral works, this led to musicians and music-lovers to turn their backs on him under accusations of him being reactionary and on disrupting musical progress. In fact, Russian authorities banned the piece, which could only be performed in Russia in 1995.

The two parts of Utrenja were conceived and written separately, even though at the time of the latter's premiere, the two parts became strongly associated and started to be performed together generally. Penderecki himself and some critics have associated it also with St. Luke Passion, which would make it a tryptych cycle; however, the complete version of Utrenja is recorded and performed separately, with no connections to St. Luke's Passion or Stabat Mater.

As a liturgical composition, Utrenja Part I is inspired by the Orthodox ritual of Holy Saturday and, therefore, is focused on the lamentation, passion and entombment of Christ; on the other hand, Utrenja Part II is based on the morning service of Easter Sunday, which commemorates and renders homage to the resurrection of Christ. The text from both parts has been taken from old church Slavic writings.

Both parts were commissioned by the West German Radio. Part I was premiered in Altenburg in April 8, 1970, under the baton of Andrzej Markowski. Part II was premiered in Münster, again under Markowski, in May 28, 1971. This performance was followed by Part I; however, the premiere of the complete version of Utrenja took place in Kraków, on September 16, 1971, under Jerzy Katlewicz. Critical and audience reception of the work was tumultuous, partly due to the Polish government crackdown following the Gdansk shipyard riots.

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