Christ's Passion and death theme in Krzysztof Penderecki's works

In the cantata and oratorio works of Krzysztof Penderecki the ones on the subject of religion seem to be dominant. A theme of Christ's Passion and death is the central subject, taken up by the composer several times and from different perspectives. The works bear strong relation to the liturgical tradition (both Latin and Orthodox), especially to the one connected with the Holy Week services. Since the creation of Te Deum and Polskie Requiem (Polish Requiem) the range of inspiration has been broadened by the tradition of Polish Lenten Lamentations service songs (Gorzkie Żale).
The text presents both the interpretation of the Christ's Passion and death theme in the Saint Luke Passion (focusing on musical description of Christ's figure) and in Credo, and the meaning of references to Polish religious tradition in Te Deum and Polskie Requiem (in the Polish historical context of the 1980s).
It seems that the presented works of Krzysztof Penderecki depict a complex picture of the modern world and man, and open us to sa¬crum, bringing a sign of hope.