Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood is to release a joint album with Poland’s Krzysztof Penderecki, the influential composer whose music has proved a huge influence on modern experimental, avant-garde and electronic music. Released through Nonesuch on March 13th, it will gather together Penderecki’s seminal (and incredibly unsettling) pieces ‘Polymorphia’ and ‘Threnody For The Victims Of Hiroshima’ with Greenwood’s own compositions inspired by the originals.
Penderecki and Greenwood first appeared in concert together at Wroclaw’s European Culture Congress last year (something the Quietus traveled to Poland to witness – read the full report here). Penderecki’s originals were performed, as were Greenwood’s ’48 Responses To Polymorphia’, a series of shorter pieces that drew influence from the originals.
After the performance, both composers traveled to a studio in Krakow to oversee the music being recorded. The pieces from that session are all gathered together on the CD along with Greenwood’s ‘Popcorn Superhet Receiver’. All were played by Poland’s AUKSO Ensemble.
Penderecki’s originals and Greenwood’s responses will all be performed by the AUKSO Chamber Orchestra at a special concert at the Barbican, London, on March 22nd. See here for more details.
