Apart from operas, symphonies and chamber music, Penderecki has also written numerous compositions for the human voice - solo or groups - paying as much attention to large-scale oratorical works as to smaller and shorter a-cappella pieces. The choral sound of Penderecki's personal style is always distinctive, even in the simple settings of this Sanctus and Benedictus. The Benedictus was premiered in 2002 at the International Choir Festival in Toronto.