Held in the southern Polish city of Kraków, the ceremony - postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic - falls on the second anniversary of Penderecki’s death.
With President Andrzej Duda as guest of honour, the funeral is to begin with a private mass at St. Florian’s Church, where the urn containing the composer’s ashes had been temporarily deposited.
After the service, a cortege will move along Kraków’s Royal Route, through the Main Market Square, to the National Pantheon in the crypts of the centuries-old Church of Saints Peter and Paul, a burial site for the most outstanding figures in Polish culture and science.
The religious service is to be accompanied by a selection of Penderecki’s music, including ‘De Profundis’ from The Seven Gates of Jerusalem, ‘Passacaglia’ from the Serenade for Strings, and two sections of The Polish Requiem – ‘Lacrimosa’ and ‘Agnus Dei.’
It will be performed by the Sinfonietta Cracovia, an ensemble which was very close to the composer’s heart, and the Warsaw Philharmonic Chorus.
A composer of global renown
One of the most renowned composers of the 20th and 21st centuries, Penderecki died on March 29, 2020 in Kraków, at the age of 86.
His vast output included orchestral and vocal-instrumental compositions, choral works, four operas, and chamber pieces. He also developed a career as a conductor.
Penderecki’s long list of honours, distinctions, medals and honorary doctorates includes the Order of the White Eagle, the highest Polish state distinction.
The German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, who was due to attend Penderecki’s funeral, had to cancel his visit to Poland after contracting COVID-19, news agencies reported.
Steinmeier had also been scheduled to hold talks with Poland’s Duda on the situation in war-torn Ukraine, officials told reporters.
(mk/pm)
Source: IAR, PAP