1992 Grawemeyer Award Recipient in Music Composition, Krzysztof Penderecki passes away

A Polish composer known for sending moral and political messages through his music, died on Sunday at his home in Krakow. He was 86.

Krzysztof Penderecki won the Grawemeyer award in 1992 for his symphonic piece, “Adagio for Large Orchestra.” Commissioned by Radio France and the French secretary of state for the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of the Rights of Man, the work was premiered by Lorin Maazel and the Orchestre National de France Nov. 26, 1989, in Paris.

Mr. Penderecki, a Polish composer and conductor whose modernist works jumped from the concert hall to popular culture, turned up in soundtracks for films like “The Exorcist” and “The Shining” and influenced a generation of edgy rock musicians.

His death was confirmed by Andrzej Giza, the director of the Ludwig van Beethoven Association, which was founded by Mr. Penderecki’s wife, Elzbieta.