Celebrated composer Krzysztof Penderecki dies aged 86

Poland’s Krzysztof Penderecki, one of the world’s most celebrated composers, died on Sunday at the age of 86, said state-controlled news agency PAP.

“After a long and serious illness, Krzysztof Penderecki – one of the greatest Polish musicians, a world authority in the field of classical music died,” Poland’s Ministry of Culture said in a tweet, according to Reuters.

Penderecki was known for his film scores, including for William Friedkin’s “The Exorcist”, Stanley Kubrick’s “The Shining” and David Lynch’s “Wild at Heart”, for his Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima and the largely atonal St Luke’s Passion.

He won four Grammy awards for his music, most recently for best choral performance in 2016.

Penderecki visited Armenia many times and revealed on one such occasion that he has Armenian roots. In 2015, he composed the psalm Domine quid multiplicati sunt on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The work premiered in May 2015 at Carnegie Hall with Armenia’s Hover State Chamber Choir conducted by Sona Hovahnnisyan.