Saturday, October 2, 2010

Penderecki: Horror and Violence Within Sound.

Halloween is arriving soon and I am sure some will be hosting or attending parties. If there ever comes a time when you want the party to stop, play some Penderecki. Why? Krzystof Pendrecki`s works will create such an unsettling environment that it will make people uncomfortable and want to leave, I have had second party testimony to this occurring and I am sure you will understand more after you listen. Start with the top two videos with the lights on or off, around others, or any other comfortable or agitated setting, the compositions are so disturbing it will not matter. I am not saying this is the equivalent of a man in a mask with a chainsaw jumping out from a corner and killing your family in front of you, but this shit is no joke. Play this at a party and people will get the fuck out.


"The dream of Jacob".
Anyone not familiar with the Biblical story should look into it. It is about Jacob dreaming, in this dream he has a vision of the angels climbing and descending stairs/a ladder from Heaven to Earth. Mind you, these are not the smiling-faces-on-postcards-angels. These are old-testament angels, ones of fire, beings so powerful and immaculate you either go insane by looking at them, or cannot even turn to peer at them. The music is suiting.




"Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima"
I am listening to this as I post. Once again, an incredibly suiting work when you try to imagine both the moment of impact and following confusion, chaos, death, dying, and other terrors that arrive. The violins match screams and tension. Panic and devastation ring out. Works like this are the definition of "powerful". If you can listen to Penderecki`s works and not feel anything from them, I am worried about you.




Now this is the composition "Henry Plainview" from There Will Be Blood by Jonny Greenwood. Notice the influence by Penderecki? I personally think it is quite strong and would bet on Penderecki`s presence.



I fully encourage you to seek out more Penderecki if interested. Both "Polymorphy" and "Dimensions of Time and Silent are fantastic. If you have an idea of what Polymorphy or Polymorphic refers to, and apply it to a more science-fiction or abdominal creature, it takes on this wonderful form of imagery that directly applies. The work Polymorphy describes through sound constant metamorphosis, destruction and recreation, and the ending is its final form, a triumph or something close to perfection/ godliness that has stopped mutating. In fact, I shall include "Polymorphy" here.




Have fun and thanks for the poll response and support guys! It is nice to see this blog is getting constructive comments and genuine interest. I truly appreciate it.

35 comments:

  1. I love how diverse Jonny Greenwood is in his music. From Radiohead to his film scores he is just phenomenal. I definitely agree on that particular composition, Penderecki all the way.

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  2. every time I visit your blog I end up learning something and doing additional research!

    Thank you!

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  3. This is some creepy music ^_^

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  4. you like some creepy stuff my friend :)

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  5. Playing these will ensure no one comes to your house next Halloween.
    I'm just going to leave Polymorphy on while I dismember my pets.

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  6. @Rorscach, I loled from that, especially the pets part. Thank you.

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  7. Definitely having a halloween party now just to creep people out.

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  8. Scary! Haha x) This is a nice blog! Haven't stumbled upon anything quite like this.. ^^

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  9. You can really tell how much emotion he put into his works.. I mean, the sections are standard for that time of course, but his composition was amazing. This type of music(or his music itself) was used in a lot of movies of this era, correct? I distinctly recall "The Shining"... the music just sounds familiar.

    Supportin'!

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  10. I'm actually glad I found your blog, something new and interesting each day. Keep it up :)

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  11. hey, this is one of my more favorite posts from you :)

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  12. yay you're the best : > all of your entries are so good

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  13. the simplicity of this music leaves more to the imagination. i think thats why it works so well with this genre

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  14. very interesting cant wait for more :D

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  15. @GamestarrArts: You are completely correct and I should have mentioned that. Penderecki`s works were featured in The Shining.

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  16. I LOVED the music. I'm listening to Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima for the thrid time. Creepy as fvck, but highly enjoyable.

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  17. Just... Just a really spectacular post, my friend. You've really outdone yourself today. I only wish my laptop had sound right now. But I'll be back to fully appreciate these, especially the Jacobs Ladder.

    Keep up the amazing work, and thank you for the feedback on my blog.
    -JKane

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  18. thats what i call creepy music

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  19. Great post!

    looking forward to reading the next one

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  20. not on here but philip glass is one of my fav composers... keep it up!

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  21. "The Dream of Jacob" is a truly fear inspiring piece, gave me the chills and the willies! Excellent post!

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  22. good vids to go with the post. you should check out the sleep paralysis documentary on youtube =D

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  23. creepy stuff, going to keep me up lol

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  24. beautiful song nice

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  25. I always feel like I'm being watched when listening stuff like this :S

    The fact that I had a horror movie marathon last night probably contributes to that :P(blog inspired me to do it)

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