Symphony No. 7 (Penderecki)
Krzysztof Penderecki wrote his Seventh Symphony, subtitled "Seven Gates of Jerusalem", in 1996 to commemorate the third millennium of the city of Jerusalem. Originally conceived as an oratorio, this choral symphony was premièred in Jerusalem in January 1997; it was only after the first Polish performance two months later that Penderecki decided to call it a symphony. It is written for two sopranos, alto, tenor, bass, narrator, chorus and orchestra.
Symphony No. 7
Third millennium of Jerusalem
Biblical texts
Latin, Hebrew
1996
January 1997, Jerusalem
60 min.
7
- 5 soloists
- narrator
- choir
- orchestra
Instrumentation[edit]
The symphony is scored for 4 flutes (3rd & 4th doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, cor anglais, 3 clarinets (3rd doubling E flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets, 4 trombones, tuba, percussion, celesta, piano, organ (ad lib) and strings.
In addition, there are offstage parts for 3 clarinets (3rd doubling E flat clarinet), bass clarinet, 3 bassoons, contrabassoon, 4 horns, 3 trumpets (including a bass trumpet, prominent in the 6th movement), 4 trombones and tuba.
Overview[edit]
Composition[edit]
In 1995 Penderecki was commissioned to write a work to commemorate the third millennium of Jerusalem, a city the composer had first visited in 1974 in the aftermath of the Yom Kippur War. Penderecki decided to write an oratorio titled Seven Gates of Jerusalem (there is an eighth "golden" gate but, according to Jewish tradition, this is reserved for the arrival of the Messiah).[2] Penderecki composed the work between April and December 1996. The work was premiered in Jerusalem on 9 January 1997; the orchestra included members of the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra and Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Lorin Maazel. The Polish premiere followed on 14 March 1997, under the direction of Kazimierz Kord. It was only after the Polish performance that the composer decided to call the work his Seventh Symphony, though he had not yet completed his Sixth Symphony (which would eventually be published and premiered in 2017).[2][3] The composer has since also written an Eighth Symphony, which like the Seventh is a choral symphony.[2]
In categorizing the work, James L. Zychowicz writes in his review: