composer and conductor, b. 23rd October 1933 in Dębica; d. 29th March 2020 in Kraków. He studied composition in 1954-58 with Artur Malawski and, after the latter’s death – with Stanisław Wiechowicz in the State Higher School of Music in Kraków. In 1958, he became a lecturer in composition at his alma mater, of which he was a rector in 1972-87. He also taught at Folkwang-Hochschule für Musik in Essen (1966-68) and Yale University in New Haven (1973-78). In 1968-70, he held the scholarship of Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) in Berlin.

In 1987-90, he was the artistic director of the Kraków Philharmonic. Since 1993 he was the artistic director of the Festival Casals in San Juan (Puerto Rico), and since 1997 he acted as music director of the Sinfonia Varsovia orchestra. Since 1998 he was also an artistic advisor to the Beijing Music Festival.

Krzysztof Penderecki made his conducting debut in 1971 in Donaueschingen, where he led the performance of his Actions for free-jazz orchestra (1971). Since then he always had a busy conducting schedule. In 1972, he recorded his works for the EMI with the Great Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio and Television in Katowice. He conducted numerous famous orchestras worldwide, e.g. Munich Philharmonic, Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks in Hamburg, Sinfonieorchester des Mitteldeutschen Rundfunks in Leipzig, London Symphony Orchestra, Philadelphia Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra, the Japanese Radio NHK Orchestra in Tokio, Osaca Philharmonic, and others. Since 1988 he was the first guest conductor of Sinfonieorchester des Norddeutschen Rundfunks in Hamburg, then Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk Sinfonie Orchester in Leipzig. From 2000 he was a guest conductor of the China Philharmonic Orchestra.

Krzysztof Penderecki received a total of 146 awards and distinctions in Poland and all over the world, which established his status as an internationally renowned composer.

He was the winner of numerous composition competition. In 1959, Penderecki won the three top prizes (1st, 2nd and 3rd prize) in the Young Composers’ Competition of the Polish Composers’ Union: for his Strophes for soprano, reciting voice and 10 instruments (1959), Emanations for two string orchestras (1958-59) and Psalms of David for mixed choir, strings and percussion (1958). In 1961 his Threnody “To the Victims of Hiroshima” for 52 string instruments (1959-61) was selected at the IRC (UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris). In 1962, he won the 1st prize for his Canon for 52 string instruments and magnetic tape (1962). The composer was twice awarded Prix Italia: in 1967 for Passio et mors Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Lucam for 3 solo voices, reciting voice, 3 mixed choirs, boys’ choir and orchestra (1963-66), and in 1968 for Dies irae. Oratorium ob memoriam in perniciei castris in Oświęcim necatorum inexstinguibilem reddendam for 3 solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra (1967). Penderecki received four Grammy Awards from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences: in 1988 for Cello Concerto No. 2, recorded for the ERATO label with Mstisław Rostropowicz as a soloist, in 1999 for Violin Concerto No 2 (Best Contemporary Classical Composition) and its recording with Anne-Sophie Mutter and the London Symphony Orchestra under his baton, and in 2001 for Credo (Best Choral Composition). In 2008 he was awarded the Polish Eagle Film Award in the Best Music category for the film Katyń. In 2011 his Da natura sonoris, used in the Quay brothers' film Mask, was awarded the Sacem Prize for the best original music at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival.

Among the most important national and international distinctions are the Award of the Polish Composers’ Union for 1970, the Gottfried von Herder Award (1977), Jean Sibelius Award from the Wilhouri Foundation in Helsinki (1983), Premio Lorenzo Magnifico (1985), Karl Wolff Foundation of Israel Award (1987), Great Cross of Merit of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (1990), Grawemeyer Award of the University of Louisville (1992), UNESCO International Music Council Award (1993), Order of Merit to the Culture of the Principality of Monaco (1993), Commander’s Cross with Star of the Polonia Restituta Order (1993), Austrian distinction „For Academic and Artistic Achievements” (1994), Commandeur dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (1996), Music Award of the City of Duisburg (1999), AFIM Indie Award (1999), MIDEM Classical Award for the Best Living Composer of the Year (2000), Ordine al Merito della Repubblica Italiana (2000), Premio Principe de Asturias de las Artes (2001), Grand Prix of the Foundation of Culture (2002), Romano Guardini Award of the Bavarian Catholic Academy (2002), Preis der Europäischen Kirchenmusik (2003), Medal of the Judaica Foundation (2003), Medal "In Commemoration of the 300th Anniversary of Saint Petersburg" (2004), Praemium Imperiale (2004), Order of the White Eagle (2005), Commander of the Three Star Order of the Republic of Latvia (2006), Annual Award of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2008), Gold Medal of the Minister of Culture of the Republic of Armenia (2008), Leonardo da Vinci Medal from the European Academy of Sciences in Hanover (2008), Order of Bernardo O'Higgins, Chile (2008), Commander of the Order of the Lion of Finland (2008), Ordre de Mérite du Grand-Duché de Luxembourg (2009), Honorary Order from the President of the Republic of Armenia (2009), Bronze Medal, Distinguished Visitor of the University of Toronto (2010), Grand-Croix de l'Ordre "Pro Merito Melitensi" (2011), Polish Television Academy Award Golden Super Wiktor for the greatest personality (2011), Lifetime Achievement Award 2012 International Classical Music Awards at the Europa Universität Viadrina Frankfurt (2012), Medal of the President of the Republic of Armenia (2013), Order of the Croatian Dawn (2013), Gold Cross of Merit of the Order of Saint Stanislaus (2013), International Istanbul Festival Award for lifetime achievement (2013), Order of the Cross of Terra Mariana, 1st Class, Estonia (2014), Order of Merit to Culture, Peru (2014), Grand Cross of Merit with the Star of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (2018), World Soundtrack Lifetime Achievement Award at the Ghent Film Festival (2019).

He received 39 honorary doctorates from universities in Argentina, Belgium, Bulgaria, Estonia, France, Spain, Ireland, South Korea, Latvia, Germany, Peru, Poland, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Ukraine, USA and Great Britain. He became an honorary member of 35 institutions in Argentina, Armenia, Austria, China, Estonia, France, Hong Kong, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, Great Britain and Italy.

In 2013 the Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music was opened in Lusławice to honor the composer's 80th birthday. The same year saw the premiere of Anna Schmidt's Polish-German documentary Paths Through the Labyrinth. The Composer Krzysztof Penderecki. The world premiere of Dies Illa, written on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of World War I, took place in Brussels as part of the special project "Thousand Voices for Peace". The psalm Domine quid multiplicati sunt, written in 2015 on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, was first performed at Carnegie Hall by the Armenian Hover State Chamber Choir. The world premiere of Lacrimosa No. 2 took place in 2018 on the occasion of the unveiling of the Monument to Victims of the Pomeranian Crime of 1939 in Toruń. The world premiere of Polonaise for orchestra by Penderecki inaugurated the 17th International Chopin Piano Competition. In 2018, on the 100th anniversary of Poland regaining independence, Penderecki's Fanfare for the Independent Poland, commmissioned by the PWM Edition, was performed on 11 November in 11 prestigious concert halls around the world and on 11 concert stages in Poland.

Krzysztof Penderecki became the honorary patron of Polish and international competitions and festivals as well as other artistic events, among others: Krzysztof Penderecki Festival in Armenia in Yerevan, International Festival of Krzysztof Penderecki – level 320 in Zabrze, Krzysztof Penderecki Composition Competition as part of the Sopot Classic International Music Festival, Certamen Compositorum Internationale ARBORETUM – Krzysztof Penderecki International Composition Competition in Radom.

In 2015 he was awarded the title of Honorary President of the Polish Composers' Union.

updated: 2020 (wa, ac)

Composer's offical website: http://www.krzysztofpenderecki.eu/

Krzysztof Penderecki European Centre for Music in Lusławice: https://penderecki-center.pl/ 

Krzysztof Penderecki has been quite a unique phenomenon in the history of music, not only in Poland, but worldwide. In 20th-century music, no one seems to have made a career even remotely like his – and so rapidly! His only match is perhaps - Igor Stravinsky. Like Stravinsky’s, Krzysztof Penderecki's musical career had its twists and turns. He notched up successes from the very start. When the results of the 2nd Young Composers’ Competition of the Polish Composers’ Union were announced in 1959, it turned out that the first, second and third prizes (for works submitted anonymously under different emblems) all went to Krzysztof Penderecki, an obscure 28-year-old assistant professor at the Department of Composition, the State Higher School of Music in Kraków. The awarded compositions were: Strofy (Strophes) for soprano, speaker and ten instruments, Emanacje (Emanations) for two string orchestras and Psalmy Dawida (Psalms of David) for mixed choir, stringed instruments and percussion. Strofy were performed at the Warsaw Autumn the same year, and the German publisher Herman Moeck took the score after the concert.

Soon, the composition was receiving performances throughout Europe, and Penderecki received a commission from the famous festival in Donaueschingen. In 1960, he composed 8’37’’, a piece whose original title referred to its exact duration. The following year, this composition was selected, i.e. received the 1st prize, at the UNESCO International Rostrum of Composers in Paris. The work, now known as Tren “Ofiarom Hiroszimy” (Threnody “To the Victims of Hiroshima”), was frequently broadcast by radio stations worldwide, and Krzysztof Penderecki was hailed as a leading representative of the 1960s musical avant-garde. He confirmed this artistic standpoint with his extraordinary Fluorescencje (Fluorescences), first performed in 1962 in Donaueschingen, in which, apart from the instruments of the great symphony orchestra, he made use of a suspended sheet of metal to imitate thunder, whistles, pieces of glass and metal scratched with a file, rattles, an electric bell, a saw, a typewriter and a siren. The traditional instruments also sound unusual, because the sound is produced by completely unconventional means. At this point, Penderecki was already a familiar figure throughout the musical world. Or at least, the world thought that they knew him... until in 1966 his Pasja według Św. Łukasza (Passion according to St. Luke) was premiered in Münster. With this composition, Penderecki rejected the radical avant-garde standpoint. The Passion has a clear content, construction and emotions, and can be comprehensible for the common music lover. The composer explained: “I do not care how the Passion is pigeon-holed: whether as a traditional work, or as avant-garde. For me, it is quite simply genuine, and that should suffice.” It has proved to suffice even until our day. Penderecki has remained himself in each composition, and has neither been dispirited nor discomfited by criticism of his works, though this criticism has become more and more frequent with the passage of time. For example, his 1978 opera - sacra rappresentazione Raj utracony (Paradise Lost) was interpreted as a pastiche of Wagner’s music, which the composer could hardly take as a compliment. All the same, Penderecki sticks to his guns and writes what he pleases. Has he betrayed the ideals of his youth?

Sonata for violin and piano (1953)

Misterioso na flet i fortepian (1954)

Cisza na głos i fortepian (1955)

Niebo w nocy na głos i fortepian (1955)

Miniatures for clarinet and piano (1956)

Asking for Happy Isles song for voice and piano (1957)

Epitaphium Artur Malawski in memoriam for string orchestra and timpani (1957-58)

Psalms of David for mixed choir, string instruments and percussion (1958)

Oddech nocy na głos i fortepian (1958)

Emanations for two string orchestras (1958-59)

Miniatures for violin and piano (1959)

Strophes for soprano, speaker and 10 instruments (1959)

Anaclasis for string orchestra and 6 groups of percussion (1959-60)

Dimensions of Time and Silence for 40-part mixed choir, percussion and strings (1959-60)

Threnody “To the Victims of Hiroshima” for 52 string instruments (1959-61)

Quartetto per archi No. 1 (1960)

Liryki afrykańskie na głos i fortepian (1960)

Psalmus 1961 for tape (1961)

Fonogrammi per flauto e orchestra da camera (1961)

Polymorphia for 48 string instruments (1961)

Fluorescences for great symphony orchestra (1961-62)

Canon for 52 string instruments and tape (1962)

Stabat Mater for 3 mixed unaccompanied choirs (1962-63)

Death Brigade radio play for speaker and tape (1963)

Mensura sortis na dwa fortepiany (1963)

Passio et mors Domini Nostri Jesu Christi secundum Lucam for 3 solo voices, speaker, 3 mixed choirs, boys’ choir and orchestra (1963-66)

Cantata in honorem Almae Matris Universitatis Iagellonicae for 2 mixed choirs and orchestra (1964)

Sonata per violoncello e orchestra (1964)

Trzy utwory w dawnym stylu na orkiestrę smyczkową (1964-1966)

Capriccio per oboe e 11 archi (1964-65)

The Bravest Knight opera for children in 3 acts for soprano, tenor, 2 baritones, bass, mixed choir and orchestra (1965)

De natura sonoris I for great symphony orchestra (1966)

Concerto per violino grande ed orchestra (1966-67)

Concerto per violoncello ed orchestra No. 1 (1966-67)

Pittsburgh Overture for brass band, percussion, piano and double-basses (1967)

Capriccio per violino e orchestra (1967)

Dies irae oratorium ob memoriam in perniciei castris in Oświęcim necatorum inexstinguibilem reddendam for 3 solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra (1967)

Capriccio per Siegfried Palm for solo cello (1968)

Quartetto per archi No. 2 (1968)

The Devils of Loudun opera in 3 acts (1968, 2001)

Utrenya I: The Entombment of Christ for solo voices, 2 choirs and symphony orchestra (1969-70)

Cosmogony for 3 solo voices, mixed choir and symphony orchestra (1970)

Utrenya II: The Resurrection of Christ for solo voices, mixed choir, boys’ choir and symphony orchestra (1970-71)

De natura sonoris II for symphony orchestra (1970-71)

Canticum canticorum Salomonis for 16-part vocal ensemble and chamber orchestra (1970-73)

Actions for free-jazz orchestra (1971)

Prelude for brass band, percussion and double-basses (1971)

Partita for harpsichord and electric guitar, bass guitar, harp, double-bass and chamber orchestra (1971-72)

Eclogue VIII for 6 solo male voices (1972)

Ekecheiria for tape (1972)

Aulodia na taśmę (1972)

Symphony No. 1 for great symphony orchestra (1972-73)

Intermezzo for 24 string instruments (1973)

Magnificat for solo bass, 7-part male vocal ensemble, 2 mixed choirs, boys’ choir and symphony orchestra (1973-74)

The Dream of Jacob (also performed as The Awakening of Jacob) for symphony orchestra (1974)

Concerto per violino ed orchestra No. 1 (1976-77)

Paradise Lost sacra rappresentazione in 2 parts (1976-78)

Te Deum for solo voices, 2 mixed choirs and symphony orchestra (1978-80)

Vorspiel, Visionen und Finale aus “Paradise Lost” for 6 soloists, great mixed choir and orchestra (1979)

Adagietto from “Paradise Lost” for symphony orchestra (1979)

Capriccio per tuba (1979-80)

Symphony No. 2 “Christmas Eve” for symphony orchestra (1979-80)

Lacrimosa from the “Polish Requiem” for soprano, mixed choir and symphony orchestra (1980)

Polish Requiem for 4 solo voices, 2 mixed choirs and orchestra (1980-2005)

Agnus Dei from the “Polish Requiem” for mixed unaccompanied choir (1981)

Czyś ty snem była na baryton i fortepian (1981)

Concerto per violoncello ed orchestra No. 2 (1982)

Concerto for viola and orchestra (1983)

Cadenza per viola sola (1983-84)

Concerto for viola [chamber version] (1984)

Concerto for viola [version for cello] (1984)

Concerto for viola [version for clarinet] (1984)

Cadenza per viola sola [version for violin] (1984)

The Black Mask (Die schwarze Maske) opera in one act (1984-86)

Per Slava for solo cello (1985-86)

Song of the Cherubim for mixed unaccompanied choir (1986)

Veni Creator for mixed unaccompanied choir (1987)

Prelude for solo clarinet (1987)

Der unterbrochene Gedanke for string quartet (1988)

Concerto per violino ed orchestra No. 1 [2nd version] (1988)

Passacaglia i Rondo na orkiestrę symfoniczną (1988)

Symphony No. 3 (1988-95)

Symphony No. 4 “Adagio” for symphony orchestra (1989)

Ubu Rex opera buffa in 2 acts with prologue and epilogue (1990-91)

String Trio for violin, viola and cello (1990-91)

Sinfonietta No. 1 per archi (1990-92)

Partita [2nd version] for harpsichord and electric guitar, bass guitar, harp, double-bass and chamber orchestra (1991-92)

Symphony No. 5 “Korean” for symphony orchestra (1991-92)

Benedicamus Domino for male unaccompanied choir (1991-92)

Concerto per flauto ed orchestra da camera (1992)

Concerto per violino ed orchestra No. 2 (Metamorphosen) (1992-95)

Benedictus for mixed unaccompanied choir (1993)

Quartet for clarinet and string trio (1993)

Agnus Dei from the “Polish Requiem” [2nd version] for string orchestra (1994)

Entrata for brass and timpani (1994)

Sinfonietta No. 2 per archi (1994)

Divertimento per violoncello solo (1994, 2006)

Suita na wiolonczelę solo (1994-2013)

Concerto per flauto [wersja na klarnet] (1995)

Agnus Dei aus “Requiem der Versöhnung” zum Gedanken an die Opfer des 2.Weltkrieges for 4 solo voices, mixed choir and orchestra (1995)

Ubu Rex suita na orkiestrę dętą (1995)

Seven Gates of Jerusalem for 5 soloists, speaker, 3 mixed choirs and orchestra (1996)

Iz glubiny na chór a cappella (1996)

Serenade for string orchestra (1996-97)

Credo for solo voices, choir and symphony orchestra (1996-98)

Hymn to St. Daniel for mixed choir and orchestra (1997) (1997)

Hymn to St. Wojciech for mixed choir and orchestra (1997) (1997)

Fanfara lucerneńska na 8 trąbek i perkusję (1998)

De profundis z "Siedmiu Bram Jerozolimy" na orkiestrę smyczkową (1998)

Sonata per violino e pianoforte No. 2 (1999)

Trzy kadencje na trąbkę (1999)

Kwartet na 4 saksofony (1999)

Sextet for clarinet, horn, string trio and piano (2000)

Musik für Blockflöten, Marimbaphon und Streicher (2000)

Suita z „Raju utraconego” na solistów, chór i orkiestrę (2000)

Concerto grosso per tre violoncelli ed orchestra (2000-2001)

Lied for voice and piano (2001)

Jakżeż ja się uspokoję na głos średni, altówkę i wiolonczelę (2001)

Concerto per pianoforte ed orchestra “Resurrection” (2001, 2007)

Phedra for voice, choir and orchestra (2002)

Benedictus na chór żeński a cappella (2002)

Adagio for cello and orchestra (2002-2003)

Missa brevis na chór a cappella (2002-2012)

Fanfarria Real for orchestra (2003)

Concerto grosso No. 2 per 5 clarinetti ed orchestra (2004)

Tempo di Valse for solo cello (2004)

Symphony No. 8 “Lieder der Vergänglichkeit” for soprano, mezzo-soprano, baritone, choir and symphony orchestra (2004, 2007)

Chaconne – in memoriam Giovanni Paolo II from the “Polish Requiem” for chamber orchestra (2005)

Chaconne z „Polskiego Requiem” na orkiestrę smyczkową (2005)

Cadenza z „Koncertu Brandenburskiego nr 3 G-dur” J. S. Bacha na altówkę, wiolonczelę i klawesyn (2006)

Sarabanda na altówkę solo (2006)

Licheń – Fanfara na instrumenty dęte (2006)

Largo per violoncello ed orchestra (2007)

Adagietto z „Raju utraconego” [wersja II] na rożek angielski i orkiestrę smyczkową (2007)

Agnus Dei z „Polskiego Requiem” [wersja III] na 8 wiolonczel (2007)

Serenata per tre violoncelli (2007)

Concerto per corno e orchestra "Winterreise" (2007-2008)

Capriccio per violino solo (2008)

Quartetto per archi no. 3 (2008)

Sanctus und Benedictus na chór a cappella (2008)

Fanfara gdańska na instrumenty dęte blaszane, kotły i perkusję (2008)

Quartetto per archi No. 3 "Pages of an Unwritten Diary" (2008)

Drei Chinesische Lieder für Bariton und Orchester (2008-2017)

Dance for violin solo (2009)

Prelude for Peace for brass instruments, timpani and percussion (2009)

Kadisz for soprano, tenor, reciting voice, choir and orchestra (2009)

The Speckled Duck for a cappella choir (2009)

O gloriosa virginum for choir a cappella (2009)

Duo concertante for violin and double bass (2010)

Ein feste Burg ist unser Gott for mixed choir, brass instruments, timpani and string orchestra (2010)

"A Sea of Dreams Did Breathe On Me..." Songs of Reflection and Nostalgia for soprano, mezzosoprano, baritone, choir and orchestra (2010)

Violoncello totale for cello solo (2011)

Capriccio per Radovan for horn solo (2011)

Concerto doppio for violin, viola and orchestra (2012)

De natura sonoris III for symphony orchestra (2012)

Sinfonietta No. 3 for symphony orchestra (2012)

La Follia for violin solo (2013)

Tempo di valse for viola solo (2013)

Adagio from Symphony No. 3 for string orchestra (2013)

Chaconne from "Polish Requiem" for piano (2014)

Capriccio per Siegfried Palm for double bass (2014)

Chaconne from "Polish Requiem" for accordion trio (2014)

Chaconne from "Polish Requiem" for 2 pianos (2014)

Dies illa for 3 soloists, 3 mixed choirs and orchestra (2014)

Concertino for trumpet and orchestra (2015)

Chaconne from "Polish Requiem" for 5 cellos (2015)

String Quintet "Pages of an Unwritten Diary" – verstion of the String Quartet No. 3 (2015)

Polonaise for symphony orchestra (2015)

Domine quid multiplicati sunt for mixed choir a cappella (2015)

Agnus Dei from Missa brevis for string orchestra (2016)

Quartetti per archi No. 4 (2016)

Concerto doppio – version for flute and clarinet (2017)

Lacrimosa No. 2 (2018)

Fanfare for the Independent Poland (2018)

Music for theatre:

Bramy raju, dir. by Danuta Michałowska (1961) 
Król Edyp, dir. by Helmut Kajzar (1963) 
Dziady, dir. by Bohdan Korzeniewski (1963) 
Bracia Karamazow, dir. by Jerzy Krasowski (1963)
Przychodzę opowiedzieć, dir. by Bronisław Dąbrowski (1964) 
Matka, dir. by Jerzy Jarocki (1964) 
Komu bije dzwon, dir. by Jerzy Goliński (1964) 
Ballada polska, dir. by Jerzy Krasowski (1964) 
Wyszedł z domu, dir. by Jerzy Jarocki (1965) 
Sławna historia o Troilusie i Kressydzie, dir. by Bohdan Korzeniewski (1965) 
Nieboska komedia, dir. by Konrad Swinarski (1965)
Danaidy, dir. by Bohdan Głuszczak (1968) 
Dziesięciu było nas braci …, dir. by Ida Kamińska (1968)
Podpalacze, dir. by Teresa Żukowska (1969) 
Caprichos, dir. by Bohdan Głuszczak (1971) 
Dante, dir. by Józef Szajna (1974) 
Opowieści zasłyszane, dir. by Tadeusz Byrski (1976) 
Brat naszego Boga, dir. by Krystyna Skuszanka (1980) 
Bez oręża, dir. by Jan Sycz (1988) 
Malowidło na drzewie, dir. by Andrzej Żurowski (1993)
Rzeczy niepokój, dir. by Jacek Łumiński (2003)


Music for puppet theatre:

Złoty kluczyk, dir. by Władysław Jarema (1957) 
Pinokio, dir. by Melania Karwatowa (1957) 
Królewicz i żebrak, dir. by Henryk Ryl (1957) 
Czarodzaski garnek, dir. by Irena Wojutycka (1957) 
Pająk, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1957)
O krasnoludkach i sierotce Marysi, dir. by Irena Wojutycka (1957)
Ptasie mleko, dir. by Jerzy Zitzman (1958)
Tomcio Paluszek, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1958)
Szewc Dratewka, dir. by Władysław Jarema (1958)
Świniopas, dir. by Janina Kilian-Stanisławska (1958)
Diamentowa Rosa, dir. by Wanda Byrska (1958) 
Przygoda warszawski misia, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1958) 
Krzesiwo, dir. by Jan Wroniszewski (1958) 
O Zwyrtale Muzykancie, dir. by Jan Wilkowski (1958) 
O straszliwym smoku i dzielnym szewczyku, prześlicznej królewnie i królu Gwoździku, dir. by Leokadia Serafinowicz (1959)
Dzieci Pana majstra, dir. by Andrzej Rettinger (1959) 
Dziadek Zmróżoczko, dir. by Joanna Piekarska (1959) 
Pąsowa sukienka, dir. by Janusz Galewicz (1959) 
Profesor Serduszko, dir. by Leokadia Serafinowicz (1960) 
Kuglarz w koronie, dir. by Henryk Ryl (1960) 
Baśń o górniku Bulandrze, dir. by Stanisław Bukowski (1960) 
Srebrna przygoda, dir. by Henryk Ryl (1960) 
O młynku Sampo i cudownej lutni (1960) 
Pieśń o lisie, dir. by Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1961) 
Jak się Hania mała z misiem dogadała, dir. by Henryka Ryla (1961) 
Tygrysek, dir. by Wojciecha Wieczorkiewicza (1961) 
Tomcio paluch i wilk, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1961)
Achilles i panny, dir. by Zofia Jaremowa (1962) 
Nal i Damayanti, dir. by Henryk Ryl (1962) 
Roland Szalony, dir. by Leokadia Serafinowicz, Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1962) 
Pinokio, dir. by Melania Karwatowa (1962) 
Pan Twardowski (1962) 
Królowa śniegu, dir. by Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1962)
Dziecko i gwiazdy, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1963) 
Lis Włóczykita, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1963) 
Miś Tymoteusz, dir. by Stanisław Ochmański (1963)
Przygody śrubki, dir. by Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1963) 
Ubu le Roi, dir. by Michael Meschke (1964) 
Kowal, dir. by Jerzy Zitzman (1964) 
Najdzielnaszy z rycerzy, dir. by Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1965) 
Czarodzaski młyn, dir. by Jerzy Zitzman (1965) 
Rozmowa z własną nogą, dir. by Leokadia Serafinowicz (1966)
Biją dzwony, dir. by Leokadia Serafinowicz (1966) 
Baśń o pięciu braciach, dir. by Wojciech Wieczorkiewicz (1967)
Szewczyk Dratewka, dir. by Andrzej Łabiniec (1968) 
Ptak, dir. by Zygmunt Smandzik (1975)

Music for TV theatre:

Bracia Karamazow, dir. by Jerzy Krasowski (1969)
Malowidło na drzewie, dir. by Stanisław Hebanowski (1973)

Music for film:

Rękopis znaleziony w Saragossie, dir. by Wojciech Jerzy Has (1964) 
Spotkania z Warszawą, dir. by Jan Łomnicki (1966) 
Szyfry, dir. by Wojciech Jerzy Has  (1966) 
Zejście do piekła, dir. by Zbigniew Kuźmiński (1966) 
Je t’aime, je t’aime, dir. by Alain Resnais (1968) 
Lśnienie, dir. by Stanley Kubrick (1980) 
Katyń, dir. by Andrzej Wajda (2007)

Music for documentary film:

Nie ma końca wielkiej wojny, dir. by Jan Łomnicki (1959)
Koncert wawelski, dir. by Jan Łomnicki (1960) 
Malarze gdańscy, dir. by Marian Ussorowski(1964) 
Etiuda sportowa, dir. by Andrzej Trzos (1965) 
Interpretacje, dir. by Jarosław Brzozowski(1965) 
Portret dyrygenta, dir. by Ludwik Perski (1965) 
Hamlet x 5, dir. by Ludwik Perski(1966) 
Passacaglia na Kaplicę Zygmuntowską, dir. by  Zbigniew Bochenek (1966) 
Tren, dir. by Marian Ussorowski (1969) 
Kachu – Kazimierz Ostrowski, dir. by  Marian Ussorowski (1981) 
Świat Matki Teresy, dir. by Barbara Lorynowicz (1996) 

Music for animated film:

Bulandra i Diabeł (1959) 
Arlekin (1960) 
Kaktus (1960) 
Pan Trąba (1960) 
Balony (1961) 
Generał i mucha (1961) 
Olimpiada (1961) 
Scyzoryk (1961) 
Spotkanie z bazyliszkiem (1961) 
Szklany wróg (1961) 
Wycieczka w kosmos (1961) 
Gorycz (1962) 
Porwanie (1962) 
Pułapka (1962) 
Don Juan (1963) 
Król Midas (1963) 
Młynek do kawy (1964) 
Przygoda żabki (1964) 
Raz termometr zachorował (1964) 
Kogut (1965) 
Piotr Płaksin (1965) 
Słodkie rytmy (1965) 
Czar kółek (1966) 
Gra (1966) 
Ikar (1966) 
Wygnanie z raju (1966) 
Inwentorium śladów (2009) 
Maska (2010) (i inne)

books

The Labyrinth of Time: Five Lectures for the End of the Century [orig. Labirynt czasu. Pięć wykładów na koniec wieku], Presspublica, Warszawa 1997

Krzysztof Penderecki. Vol 2, Lusławickie ogrody, Wydawnictwo Bosz Bogdan Szymanik, Olszanica 2005

Krzysztof Penderecki. T. 1, Rozmowy lusławickie, Wydawnictwo Bosz Bogdan Szymanik, Olszanica 2005

Pendereccy: saga rodzinna, Wydawnictwo Literackie, Kraków 2013

Lisicki Krzysztof, Sketches about Krzysztof Penderecki [orig. Szkice o Krzysztofie Pendereckim], Instytut Wydawniczy „PAX”, Warszawa 1973

Erhardt Ludwik, Encounters with Krzysztof Penderecki [orig. Spotkania z Krzysztofem Pendereckim], PWM, Kraków 1975

Robinson Ray, Winold Allen, A Study of the Penderecki St. Luke Passion, Moeck Verlag, Celle 1983

Schulz Reinhard, Krzysztof Penderecki, In: Komponisten der Gegenwart (ed. Hanns-Werner Heister, Walter-Wolfgang Sparrer), edition text + kritik, München 1992-

Schwinger Wolfram, Penderecki. Leben und Werk, Schott’s Söhne, Mainz 1994

Tomaszewski Mieczysław (red.), The Music of Krzysztof Penderecki. Poetics and Reception, Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie, Kraków 1995

Jacobson Bernard, A Polish Renaissance, Phaidon Press Ltd., London 1996

Malecka-Contamin Barbara, Krzysztof Penderecki: Style et Matériaux, Éditions Kimé, Paris 1997

Mirka Danuta, The Sonoristic Structuralism of Krzysztof Penderecki, Akademia Muzyczna w Katowicach, Katowice 1997

Robinson Ray (ed.), Studies in Penderecki vol. I, 1998, Prestige Publications, Princeton 1998

Zieliński A. Tadeusz, Penderecki’s Instrumental Drama [orig. Dramat instrumentalny Pendereckiego], PWM, Kraków 2003

Bylander Cindy, Krzysztof Penderecki. A Bio-Bibliography, Praeger Publishers, Westport (Connecticut) / London 2004

Tomaszewski Mieczysław, Penderecki - trudna sztuka bycia sobą, Znak, Kraków 2004

Krzysztof Penderecki - music in the intertextual era: studies and interpretation, ed. by M. Tomaszewski, E. Siemdaj, Akademia Muzyczna, Kraków 2005

Polish maverick, "Choir & Organ" March/April 2008, s. 34-37

Tomaszewski Mieczysław, Penderecki: bunt i wyzwolenie. Vol. 1, Rozpętanie żywiołów, PWM, Kraków 2008

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego: od genezy do rezonansu: interpretacje. 1, Początki i "mocne wejście" 1953-1960: faza Psalmów Dawida i Strof, Akademia Muzyczna, Kraków 2008

Tomaszewski Mieczysław, Penderecki: bunt i wyzwolenie. Vol. 2, Odzyskiwanie raju, PWM, Kraków 2009

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 2, Czas prób i doświadczeń 1960-1966: faza Trenu, De natura sonoris i Brygady śmierci, Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie, Kraków 2010

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 3, Przełom i pierwsza synteza 1966-1971: faza Pasji i Diabłów z Loudun, Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie, Kraków 2010

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 4, Interludium: lata sublimacji 1973-1975, faza Magnificat, I Symfonii i Przebudzenia Jakuba, Akademia Muzyczna w Krakowie, Kraków 2010

Skomponuj kompozytora: Krzysztof Penderecki, ed. by I. Witkowska, Teatr Wielki - Opera Narodowa, Warszawa 2013

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 5, Czas dialogu z „odnalezioną przeszłością” 1976-1985: faza Raju utraconego i II Symfonii, Akademia Muzyczna, Kraków 2013

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 6, Między musica adhaerens a musica libera 1985-1993: faza Polskiego Requiem i Czarnej maski, Akademia Muzyczna, Kraków 2013

Twórczość Krzysztofa Pendereckiego od genezy do rezonansu, interpretacje. 7, Nowy początek 1993 - faza Credo, Sekstetu i Pieśni przemijania, Akademia Muzyczna, Kraków 2013