We explore the traumatic events of Penderecki's upbringing, growing up as a boy in Nazi-German-occupied Poland from the ages of 6 to 12. How was his music a reaction to the events of the Second World War?

Further reading & listening:

• Krzysztof Penderecki // bio on Culture.pl
• Visit Penderecki's Garden, a digital garden in the composer's honour.

Many thanks to the Penderecki estate for granting us permission to use extended parts of his music. Some of the pieces heard in this episode can be listened to in full elsewhere on the Internet:

• Krzysztof Penderecki: String Quartet No. 3 'Leaves from an Unwritten Diary'
• Henryk Górecki: Symphony No.3, Op.3
• Szymon Laks: Quintet for Piano

Hosted by Jack Pepper

Transcription WCAG

A Polish translation of the audio can be found here.