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Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Henryk Gorecki, Donald Runnicles, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Genre: Classical
 
A new recording of one of the most surprising popular hits in the orchestral repertoire, Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, features Donald Runnicles conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with soprano Christ...  more »

     
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CD Details

All Artists: Henryk Gorecki, Donald Runnicles, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Christine Brewer
Title: Henryk Górecki: Symphony No. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
Members Wishing: 0
Total Copies: 0
Label: Telarc
Original Release Date: 1/1/2009
Re-Release Date: 3/24/2009
Genre: Classical
Styles: Historical Periods, Modern, 20th, & 21st Century, Symphonies
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaCD Credits: 1
UPC: 089408069925

Synopsis

Album Description
A new recording of one of the most surprising popular hits in the orchestral repertoire, Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Op. 36, features Donald Runnicles conducting the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra with soprano Christine Brewer, the CD was recorded live at Atlanta's Symphony Hall at the Woodruff Arts Center in June 2008 following acclaimed performances in May.Written in 1976, the symphony, which is also known as the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," is a setting of three Polish texts with the theme of separation through war: The first is a 15th century Polish lament in which Mary speaks to her son Jesus as he is dying; the second is a message written on the wall of a Gestapo cell by a teenage girl during the Second World War; and the third is a folk song in which a mother grieves for her son killed in the Silesian uprisings. The symphony marked a change in compositional style for Górecki, who was previously identified as a member of the modernist wing of European music that was prone to compositions constructed of clashing sound masses and serially ordered elements. The symphony's simplicity, chant-like melodic nature and largely consonant harmonies took many listeners and critics by surprise.The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's performances of Górecki's Third Symphony in May 2008 were presented as a "Theater of a Concert" production enhanced by lighting effects and visuals by Anne Patterson and Adam Larsen and conducted by the ASO's Principle Guest Conductor Donald Runnicles. Mr. Runnicles was recently named General Music Director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and Chief Conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony, effective in 2009, has been Music Director and Principal Conductor of the San Francisco Opera since 1992, and is Music Director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Wyoming. Soloist Christine Brewer is a GRAMMY® Award-winning American soprano whose appearances in opera, concert and recital are marked with her own unique timbre, at once warm and brilliant, combined with a vibrant personality and emotional honesty.
 

CD Reviews

Fascinating and Moving
David C. Green | Suwanee, GA USA | 05/17/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is honestly my first exposure to the work of Henryk Gorecki, but it is certainly quite the welcome. The piece, a new direction in Gorecki's style, is considered one of the finest in 20th-century composition, and this recording explains it all. From the eerie contrabass introduction to the dying out of the full strings and piano and harp, Runnicles, Brewer, and the Atlantans are all in. Brewer conveys the dark and stirring texts beautifully. The music moves so subtly that it almost seems as though one is frozen in time, yet the music is very gripping in its quiet stirrings. Needless to say, even after the mega-hit by Zinman and Upshaw, this recording is a wonderful and powerful experience I will not soon forget."
Haunting
Dr. David Sleet | La Jolla and Atlanta (United States) | 05/02/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Amazing recording with a pure and vibrant female voice and masterful orchesteral performance. Learn the history of the composer and you'll see why this is such an important CD."