Cello Concerto No. 1
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Interestingly, this composition is based on a concerto for violino grande, an enlarged 5-string violin; the latter piece was withdrawn from the composer’s catalogue. Penderecki makes use of that earlier concerto’s sonic dualism, which he describes in nearly religious categories, as ‘heavenly’ and ‘hellish’. The solo instrument moves smoothly in the extreme registers. Sonorism meets romanticism here, and perhaps even expressionism, suggested by the dramatic form and sharp contrasts. The first performer was Siegfried Palm, for whom the composer also wrote two solo works.