Work of the Week - Krzysztof Penderecki: Prelude for Peace

On 1st September the World Orchestra for Peace conducted by Valery Gergiev will give the world premiere of Krysztof Penderecki’s Prelude for Peace for brass instruments and percussion at the Church of Saints Peter and Paul in Krakow. The concert, which is being supported by the Polish Ministy of Culture, will mark the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II with the invasion of Poland in 1939.

The World Orchestra for Peace was founded by Sir Georg Solti, one of the most influential conductors in the 20th century. Solti’s personal experiences as a young man in World War II convinced him of how musicians could guide politicians in international relations and during a concert for Solti’s 80th birthday at Buckingham Palace he first voiced his aim of establishing an ensemble with this aim. In 1995, three years later, the World Orchestra for Peace was heard for the first time in Geneva on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Since then, musicians from more than 40 countries have come together for special events "to use the unique power of music as an ambassador for peace".

After Solti’s sudden death in 1997, Valery Gergiev succeeded as conductor of the orchestra. Gergiev not only continues the orchestra’s tradition of musical excellence but also carries on the passionate commitment for peace that the orchestra communicate to its audiences around the world. He regards the concert in Krakow as an key event: "It means an immense amount to me personally, to have been invited with the wonderful musicians which make up this unique orchestra and to bring our message of peace through music to the City of Krakow on this most touching anniversary."

Prelude for Peace opens with a crescendo from the percussion section followed by lively staccato motifs through the brass. A second section is characterised by a large Bruckner-like choral theme that is introduced by the bass trumpet and passed down through all the registers. The work finished with an elaboration of the choral theme that culminates in a spectacular fortissimo tutti canon.

The concert will be broadcast live on television by TVP2 and to an audience on a giant screen in the centre of Krakow, CNN.com will also stream the broadcast over the internet live.

The whole programme will be repeated the next day in Stockholm as part of the Baltic Sea Festival again marking the 70th anniversary of the start of World War II but will also celebrate the 200th anniversary of the peace treaty between Sweden and Finland.

• Krzysztof Penderecki - Profile
• World Orchestra for Peace
• CNN.com - Livestream
• St. Peter and Paul, Krakow - Spectacular 360° View