Stars: Penderecki Festival Orchestra, Warsaw Philharmonic Choir, Henryk Wojnarowski, Krzysztof Penderecki

Summary: Symphony No 7 is based on the old testament scriptures about the city of Jerusalem and was recorded in the 'Salle Debussy' in Cannes.

In 2000, Polish composer Krysztof Penderecki won the Cannes Classical Award for "Living Composer of the Year." Noted for infusing an all too rare spirituality into modern classical music, Penderecki celebrating this great honor with the performance of his Symphony No. 7 -- SEVEN GATES OF JERUSALEM. A grand production conceived in 1996, the symphony is based on the Old Testament tracts on Jerusalem and incorporates three choirs, five soloists, an orchestra, and a narrator. This performance was filmed in Cannes's Salle Debussy.

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Poland's Krzysztof Penderecki is one of the late-20th century's great composers of religious works, of which his Symphony No. 7, Seven Gates of Jerusalemis but the latest example. (Typically for the restless Penderecki, he hasn't even written his Symphony No. 6 yet!). Penderecki began as a radical avant-gardist who transformed the string orchestra into a shrieking, plucking and banging machine in his 1959 Threnody; but has managed to become one of the most accessible composers around today. This absolutely stunning release is a must for all Penderecki aficionados. Not only does it showcase a first-rate rendition of the bombastic but genuinely affecting Seven Gates of Jerusalemin Cannes, in 2000--conducted by the composer himself--but also is crammed with enticing bonus features. There's a short interview with Penderecki, discussing the genesis of the "Seven Gates" in both English and German; comments by the work's narrator, Boris Carmelli; an onscreen score and Penderecki's subtitled commentary, both synchronous with the music; and Andreas Missler-Morell's illuminating hour-long profile of the composer. --Kevin Filipski, Amazon.com

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Special Features:	Penderecki Profile, Score Plus, Composers Commentary, Interview With Composer
Subtitles:	Dutch, English, French, German
Year:	2000
Release Date:	November 6, 2000
Runtime:	140 minutes
Certification:	Exempt.
Catalogue Number:	100 008
Keywords:	Music, Jerusalem, Seven, Orchestral, Gates, Classical, Performing, Penderecki, Krysztof
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts