The Dream of Jacob


The Dream of Jacob, also referred to as The Awakening of Jacob, is a composition by Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. It is scored for large orchestra and was finished in 1974.

Conception and composition

The work's original German title, Als Jakob erwachte aus dem Schlaf, sah er, daß Gott dagewesen war. Er hat es aber nicht gemerkt, is extracted from the Bible and can be found in. The work was commissioned for the Silver Jubilee of Prince Rainier III of Monaco, to whom it is dedicated, and was first performed in Monte Carlo in August 14, 1974, by the Orchestre National de l'Opéra de Monte-Carlo under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. It was eventually published by the Polish Music Publishing House and Schott Music.

Analysis

The composition is scored for three flutes, three oboes, three B clarinets, three bassoons, five F horns, three B-flat trumpets, three trombones, one tuba, percussion and a large string section. The composition is loosely based on the Bible passage mentioned above, therefore trying to resemble being in the desert on a ladder to heaven, while the angels are ascending and descending.
The composition is in one movement and takes approximately 7 minutes to perform. The score is notated in C. This composition is still one of the most performed in its repertoire and also the composition with which Penderecki introduced his neo-Romantic style, which he further developed in his following works, moving away from the style he had been using for the previous 15 years, which included the composition of his first symphony.

Reception

The composition received initially mostly positive reviews from Polish and European critics. In the Polish literary magazine Kultura Paryska, the composition is praised for the elimination of "aggressive sound effects and terseness of form" in favor of a more refined style. German music critic Detlef Gojowy described the compositions as bearing strong influences of Richard Wagner and Dmitri Shostakovich. Andrew Porter, from The New Yorker, was also struck by the composer's exquisite use of the twelve ocarinas. However, Polish magazine Ruch muzyczny stated that The Dream of Jacob did not "fulfill the emotional expectations of the German audience”, but the logic and clarity used in its composition was heartily welcomed. Bernard Holland, from the New York Times, highlighted that the Kraków Philharmonic's performances were reviewed favourably, but also noted that the people "would eventually tire of the riveting sounds in his works and begin to wonder why its musical ideas do not flow together more effectively". Penderecki was also criticized by the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra for the difficulty of the notation. and June Schneider, from Music and Musicians, questioned if the composer "is able to provide anything other than superficial sound manipulations".

In popular culture

The Dream of Jacob has been featured in other audiovisual material. The following is a list of the movies and video games in which the composition is featured:
Following are some of the most well-known recordings of this piece:
OrchestraConductorRecord companyYear of recordingFormat
Polish Radio National Symphony OrchestraKrzysztof PendereckiEMI1974LP and CD
St. Olaf OrchestraKrzysztof PendereckiWCAL1977LP
Prague Radio Symphony OrchestraJacek KasprzykSupraphon1980LP
Kraków Philharmonic OrchestraJacek KasprzykPolskie Nagrania Muza1980LP
RAI National Symphony OrchestraKrzysztof PendereckiFonit Cetra1982LP
MDR Leipzig Radio Symphony OrchestraHerbert KegelVEB Deutsche Schallplatten Berlin/Berlin Classics1984CD
New England Conservatory Symphony OrchestraPiero BellugiNew England Conservatory Performances1985Cassette
Polish Radio National Symphony OrchestraAntoni WitPolskie Nagrania Muza1987LP
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic OrchestraKrzysztof PendereckiChandos1995CD
Warsaw Philharmonic OrchestraAntoni WitNaxos2008CD