Death of Polish Composer, Henryk Gorecki

[waderice]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/11/12/AR2010111206879.html   

You will note toward the end of this obituary that Gorecki said "When you think about the great composers, you have to be humble. I will die without learning the secrets of Chopin, Bach, Mahler.  What is it? You hear very simple sounds; you look at the notes in a Schubert song and there is nothing special, but it is a masterpiece. Why? A mystery."

I heard the Third Symphony of Gorecki almost two years ago on the radio as mentioned in this obituary and very recently performed one of his choral works in a concert by the choral group I belong to.  There is a very somber, ethereal feel to Gorecki's music.  In my recollections of listening to his Third Symphony, I think he understood, and conveyed very well in his own way, the mood of the final measures of Mahler's Das Lied von der Erde.

R.I.P. Mr. Gorecki.  You have succeeded in conveying in your own way what the great past masters tried to teach us.

Wade

[jackwalker]

Hello !  Thank you so much for your thoughts concerning Henryk Gorecki. I share them fully. I only have 2 Cds- the Dawn Upshaw, Third(of course!) and the Symphony No. 2 on Naxos -this disc I find I am drawn to at all times, you are right, there is a quality and depth in this composer,I find this Naxos disc so moving,the soloists superb,the baritone especially. I was EXTREMELY saddened to read of Gorecki"s passing,I had a sense that this world we live in now (this crazy world) just cannot do with the passing of such sensitive deep souls.  And I expect I shall be more saddened by Rautavaara"s passing,when that happens too.    So many of the old dependable composers and conductors have gone now.....I was shocked to see a recent copy of "The Gramophone" had decreased in size and quality of paper...I have been reading it for over 35 years (I cant afford it now) it just seems to me a symbol of a lessening of culture, plastic and glitz is all the rage now.... anyway, I just wanted to send you this little piece. I have just joined MB just now...
                                     Best Regards   Jack Geitz, Devonport Tasmania
Oh, I typed in "Gorecki"s funeral" in Google recently, and watched by accident the funeral of the recent Polish President...the choir moved me so deeply, in fact the whole ceremony was unspeakably noble and moving, the HD quality (from Polish TV),not very good.