One of my favourite composers Górecki died two days ago on the 12th November 2010, just less than a month short of his 77th birthday. It’s funny how I always joked to Julia (my housemate who’s Polish) that I will visit her if she could get me a meeting with Górecki. That won’t happen anymore, I suppose (unless a visit to his grave).
Górecki was born in Czernica i 1933. His early music was pretty much like any of modernist/post-war music in Europe at that time: violent, dissonant, etc. Even Boulez approved of his early works. However, one thing that remained the same was how Polish the music is. He rarely quoted folk tunes, but some of his melodic writing is very folky. He once said that, “you can’t hear that my music is Polish, but you can certainly smell that it’s Polish.”
Górecki came into international acclaim when Symphony No. 3 – Symfonia pieśny żałosnych (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) was recorded and sung by Dawn Upshaw and David Zinman. It remained the only classical music that crossed over into the popular music listeners and even reached number 6 on the pops chart.
Nathan, a fellow composer, and I are organising a concert as a tribute to Górecki. It’ll be on the 5th Dec 2010 in Hartley Concert Room. Anyone in Adelaide is welcome to come. I’m gathering a group of 10 or so people to sing Górecki’s Szeroka Woda and Wisło moja, Wisło szara, and maybe Totus Tuus too… if possible!
Symphony No. 3 has touched many people in the past, and it will still continue to do so. Górecki’s music lives on.
