Premiere of Penderecki and Greenwood album

The artists’ collaborative album will hit the shelves on Tuesday, 13 March. The album contains Krzysztof Penderecki’s avant-garde compositions from the 1960s and variations on these works by Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood.
Filip Berkowicz, the producer and originator of the album, tells Dziennik Polski (12 March 2012) how both gentlemen came to collaborate.
- Was it difficult to persuade the two musicians to collaborate?
- It was fine work. I had to have both artists meet without fully informing them of my intentions, so as not to discourage them with the idea. So I used ... white lies. A decisive moment was when Jonny Greenwood visited Kraków and both artists had dinner together. It was then that Krzysztof Penderecki understood that he deals with a musically educated English gentleman, who is a tremendous enthusiast of his work. And Greenwood finally met his guru.
(…)
- When did the idea to record these works on an album come about?
- Right away I suggested that all four works be recorded, not live but in studio. Right after the concert we went to Cracow, and from there to Alwernia, where the recording took place in Stanisław Tyczyński’s cosmic-looking studio. Choosing the American Nonesuch label as the publisher was natural, because it had released Greenwood’s music before, for example "There will be Blood” or "Norwegian Wood" soundtracks.

The album featuring the four compositions was recorded at Stanisław Tyczyński’s Alvernia Studios.
Filip Berkowicz says that concerts to promote this unique album are already planned. The first will take place on 22 March at London’s Barbican Centre.