Symphony No. 7 “Seven Gates of Jerusalem” Naxos 8.557766

• Composer: Krzysztof Penderecki
• Conductor: Antoni Wit
• Orchestra: Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra
• Choir: Warsaw Philharmonic Choir

Jerusalem has special significance for Penderecki, who first visited it in 1974, following the ‘Yom Kippur’ war. He was commissioned then to write a work for the third millennium celebration of the city of David. He composed the oratorio Seven Gates of Jerusalem in 1996 – the Eighth Gate being reserved for the Messiah in Jewish tradition. It was premièred there the following year, with Lorin Maazel conducting. Following the work’s Polish première, the composer decided to call it his Seventh Symphony.

Symphony No. 7 “Seven Gates of Jerusalem” Review

Antoni Wit’s ongoing cycle of Penderecki orchestral works is yet another of those truly outstanding Naxos projects that’s unlikely to get the attention it deserves. The music isn't easy, or popular, but Wit is a marvelous conductor in this repertoire, and his unfailingly intense and idiomatic performances look to become the standard by which all others will be judged. This new release just may be the best so far.

The Seven Gates, though largely nonthreatening in its use of consonant harmony, is a very difficult work to perform. The choral and solo writing is tiring (if often incredibly moving and impressive), and the presence of a lengthy narration may bother some listeners. In my opinion Penderecki is one of the very few composers who can pull it off, and here he does so magnificently.

Perhaps the most wonderful thing about this recording is its ability to be serious (isn't Penderecki always?) without sounding labored, or relentlessly heavy. Partly it’s a function of really exceptional choral singing and a uniformly high-quality bunch of soloists. The rest, though, is Wit’s ideal pacing and that feeling for timbre and texture that made his Messiaen Turangalila-Symphonie so memorable. In short, even if you don’t normally warm to Penderecki, you probably will find this disc surprisingly appealing. The sung texts are available on Naxos’ website, but it’s just as much fun to simply wallow in the evocative sonorities that Penderecki gets from his very large vocal and instrumental forces. Excellent engineering makes the music both rage and shimmer as it must. A splendid release in every way! ClassicsToday.com