Utrenja
Polish liturgical composition
Utrenja, alternatively spelled as Utrenia, Utrenya, or Jutrznia, and sometimes also translated as Matins, is a set of two liturgical compositions by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. They were composed and premiered in 1970 and 1971.
"Jutrznia" in this context refers to "Matins of the Passion of Jesus" in Eastern Orthodox rites (Polish: "Jutrznia Męki Pańskiej", Russian/Church Slavonic: "Utrenja Strastiej Khristovych").
History
Following his Stabat Mater, Penderecki garnered certain fame in avant-garde circles, though, in respect to his upcoming radicalism and emotional directness in his orchestral works, this led to musicians and music lovers to turn their backs on him under accusations of him being reactionary and on disrupting musical progress. In fact, Russian authorities banned the piece, which could only be performed in Russia in 1995.
Conception and composition
The two parts of Utrenja were conceived and written separately, even though at the time of the latter's premiere, the two parts became strongly associated and started to be performed together generally. Penderecki himself and some critics have associated it also with St. Luke Passion, which would make it a triptych cycle; however, the complete version of Utrenja is recorded and performed separately, with no connections to St. Luke's Passion or Stabat Mater.
As a liturgical composition, Utrenja Part I is inspired by the Orthodox ritual of Holy Saturday and, therefore, is focused on the lamentation, passion and entombment of Christ; on the other hand, Utrenja Part II is based on the morning service of Easter Sunday, which commemorates and renders homage to the resurrection of Christ.
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