Disquiet in Poland as Penderecki lies unburied
mainIt is a year this month since the composer Krzysztof Penderecki died, his passing mourned the world over.
The onset of Covid-19 prevented an early public funeral. A date was set for May 2021 but Covid persists. According to reports today, the family have been refusing to bury his remains until there can be a proper public occasion.
UPROAR IN POLAND: nonsense.
Before now, I have not read anywhere about any Polish “uproar” because Penderecki’s ashes have not been placed in a columbarium niche, or him not yet given a public memorial service.
It is not at all unusual for a family to keep ashes in an urn at home, waiting for an opportunity to have a service, or just wanting to have the deceased close by.
And I don’t know much about the “Super Express” website, but it seems to be along the line of TMZ – in other words, the lowest kind of tabloid “journalism”.
When one considers the vast grief that Covid-19 has spread around the world, this seems a particularly trivial issue. There’s no denying his enormous prestige, but – with or without a major burial ceremony – that prestige will endure.
Today, March 11th, is also the one year anniversary of the death of American composer, Charles Wuorinen. There has yet to be a memorial for CW as wel.
But a funeral is a private occasion. They should have buried him and had all the pomp later on
It’s pending.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdUD0WzuGDU
This is the great CD from Poland MAESTRO NORMAN. Greeting from Poland and from me . BIG HUGS and BIG THANK YOU for this presentation of KRZYSZTOF PENDERECKI. Justyna Philipp, pianist