Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki (1933-2010)

[Robert]

ah, i see
i'll get to that sometime 

its real simple, just go to their site....I think its winamp.com and download it....

[Maciek]

I have a cd of his string quartets, when caught listening to it I was told that it sounded like "somebody dropping knives on the floor, but not as musical." 

What a strange thing to say!

[DavidW]

What a strange thing to say!

Yeah, but that cover of the new Gorecki SQ is also pretty strange "... songs are sung."  Either it's the most unoriginal title/description ever or it's one of those over my head brilliant postmodernist things, an all encompassing metaphor like the teacup in Proust!

Alright who has an opinion on "... songs are sung"?  I'm guessing whoever owns the cd and thus the liner notes will have an edge here.  But bonus points for creativity.

[Maciek]

Actually, whoever knows the original Polish title and knows Polish has the edge. 0:)

"Pieśni śpiewają" can be translated into English as "songs are sung..." but that is indeed a very rough translation. I can't come with anything better though (those bonus points are still available ). The title means more or less "someone is singing songs (somewhere)" and has a slightly dialectal feel to it (because the natural word order would have been "śpiewają pieśni") - could be pointing towards the Podhale region and to the folklore of the gorale (the people living there), as that is the area where Mr Górecki resides, AFAIK.

Maciek

[bhodges]

Speaking of the Symphony No. 3, I just received a postcard announcing the following program by the Brooklyn Philharmonic in a few weeks.  (Alas, I checked the calendar and I'll be hearing Maurizio Pollini that same night...)

The Ride To Redemption
May 12, 2007, 8 PM
BAM Howard Gilman Opera House

Mozart: Exsultate jubilate, K. 165
Hindemith: Mathis der Maler
Henryk Gorecki: Symphony No. 3
    (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) (World Premiere Staging)

Brooklyn Philharmonic
Michael Christie, conductor
Nathalie Paulin, soprano
Staging Conceived by Ridge Theater
   Film By Bill Morrison
   Laurie Olinder, projections
   Bob McGrath, director

--Bruce

[greg]

Actually, whoever knows the original Polish title and knows Polish has the edge. 0:)

"Pieśni śpiewają" can be translated into English as "songs are sung..." but that is indeed a very rough translation. I can't come with anything better though (those bonus points are still available ). The title means more or less "someone is singing songs (somewhere)" and has a slightly dialectal feel to it (because the natural word order would have been "śpiewają pieśni") - could be pointing towards the Podhale region and to the folklore of the gorale (the people living there), as that is the area where Mr Górecki resides, AFAIK.

Maciek

actually, he wanted to write "songs are snorted" but i convinced him to change it, so he did.  

[BachQ]

I just received a postcard announcing the following program by the Brooklyn Philharmonic in a few weeks. 

People still use "postcards" ? . . . . . . Ewwww . . . . . .

[bhodges]

People still use "postcards" ? . . . . . . Ewwww . . . . . .

Well...yeah...no like postcards?    I kinda like 'em...if they're well-designed, that is.  This one was about 5" x 7" and looked pretty cool, actually.  (Lately, I usually receive two announcements for a concert: one hard-copy card of some sort, and one e-mail.)

--Bruce

[Maciek]

(World Premiere Staging)

This looks very interesting indeed. Will you be seeing it at a later date, Bruce?

[Maciek]

Górecki's choral writing is perhaps the best he has to offer. Ever since the 2nd Symphony choral works take up a significant part of his catalogue (even if they aren't recorded or performed quite as often as the other pieces).

[Maciek]

Spotted this very exciting 2CD album today, might be getting it in the near future:



2 discs of Gorecki's choral writing: Wisło moja op.46, Szeroka woda op. 39, Hej, z góry, z góry! kóniku bury – 5 Kurpie Songs op.75, Przybądź Duchu Święty op.61, Totus Tuus op.60, Zdrowaś bądź Maryja op.54, Pieśń Rodzin Katyńskich op.81, Amen op.35
(Polish Radio Choir/Włodzimierz Siedlik)

[Christo]

You may begin denigrating the 3rd Symphony (I know you want to very, very much ) ...

Sorry, but .. I won't! I loved the piece at first hearing and still do. Its sobriety and emotional impact is never cheap.

And when I saw the composer for the first time, driving his old Mercedes all the way down to these low countries, I liked the way he made perfectly clear he wasn't going to pose like a mystic, as the public would have expected him to do, but he was/is a real down-to-earth composer.

Btw, I agree with all of your first choices, but must confess I don't know many of his other pieces, yet. Good that you started this thread, Maciek.

[greg]

Spotted this very exciting 2CD album today, might be getting it in the near future:



2 discs of Gorecki's choral writing: Wisło moja op.46, Szeroka woda op. 39, Hej, z góry, z góry! kóniku bury – 5 Kurpie Songs op.75, Przybądź Duchu Święty op.61, Totus Tuus op.60, Zdrowaś bądź Maryja op.54, Pieśń Rodzin Katyńskich op.81, Amen op.35
(Polish Radio Choir/Włodzimierz Siedlik)

Are any of those previously unrecorded works?

[Maciek]

I may be wrong about this, but I'm not aware of alternative recordings of any of the pieces apart from Amen and Totus Tuus.

[Maciek]

2 discs of Gorecki's choral writing: Wisło moja op.46, Szeroka woda op. 39, Hej, z góry, z góry! kóniku bury – 5 Kurpie Songs op.75, Przybądź Duchu Święty op.61, Totus Tuus op.60, Zdrowaś bądź Maryja op.54, Pieśń Rodzin Katyńskich op.81, Amen op.35
(Polish Radio Choir/Włodzimierz Siedlik)

Arrived today, handsomely packed.

No mention in the booklet of any of these being premiere recordings. I guess I'm simply not very much up to date on the Gorecki discography... (which is probably quite enormous anyway)

[bhodges]

That looks most interesting.  (Beautiful cover, too.)  Please report back!

--Bruce

[Maciek]

Wow! Only noticed this today, don't know exactly when it was released (maybe this week, maybe 6 months ago), but I am most certainly and without doubt going to get it before the year is over:


Henryk Mikołaj Górecki - String Quartets (The Silesian String Quartet) 2 CDs, EMI (EMI Poland, probably, which would mean it be will very difficult to get it anywhere else)

For those not certain what I'm so excited about: the Silesian Quartet is one of the best string quartets in Eastern and Central Europe (if not indeed the best). Their previous Gorecki disc (an out of print Olympia) was absolutely fantastic and I have very good reason to expect this one to be at least as staggering. Forget about Kronos! (Who are, of course, very good in their own right. But just think of the "authenticity" of performance. )

[Lethevich]

Looks like there's a fourth symphony on the way. Nice.

What is his first symphony like? Is it scary stuff, or approachable like Arvo Pärt's first two?

[kentel]

Looks like there's a fourth symphony on the way. Nice.

What is his first symphony like? Is it scary stuff, or approachable like Arvo Pärt's first two?

It is very austere, dark, cold, non-melodic with crushing string dissonances and sparse metallic percussions. Imagine Tchaïkovsky's Swan Lake : it's just the opposite


On the other side, it's rather short. I wouldn't say it's like Pärt first two, I would say it's much better. In many ways it foreshadows Schnittke's symphonies. But once again it's much better, although this is certainly not my favorite among Górecki's works. On the other side, he was only 25 at this time...

[Lethevich]

Thanks! It sounds neat, and also potentially what I am looking for. I find Pärt's first two very listenable, but also somewhat without substance - the music is not entirely symphonic in its reach. From your post and also an Amazon review, the Górecki seems like something to pay some attention to.