Krzysztof Penderecki, born November 23rd 1933, is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde 'Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima' for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral 'St. Luke Passion'. Both these works exhibit novel compositional techniques. Since the 1970s
Penderecki's style has changed to encompass a post-Romantic idiom.
He has won prestigious awards including Grammy
Awards in 1987 and 1998 and 2001, and the Grawemeyer Award for Music
Composition in 1992.
As well as the works already mentioned, his compositions include four
operas, eight symphonies and other orchestral pieces, a variety of
instrumental concertos, choral settings of mainly religious texts, as
well as chamber and instrumental works.