Goretski

Do you mean Henryk Gorecki - Symphony No. 3 ?

YES! - I think that's it!

Blimey you're a mine of information.

Now, about my central heating boiler

Fisbey,
Don't listen to it if your feeling even slightly depressed, its Gorecki's rendering of the Holocaust, and even brings tears to the eye's of a hardend old Ex Shop Steward like me.
Dawn Upshaw, the Suprano sings with such feelings and emotion, that it's like taking a scalpel to your raw nerve endings. Keep a large box of tissues handy.
oldie.

The music (or rather a short part of it) is being used in the background of a play I'm in, very suitable for the play and I'd noticed it can be a bit morbid, but very good none the less...

I got a cheapy Naxo version at lunchtime - and have just read the sleeve notes - mmmm none to cheerful - will report back when I've listened in full.

The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs has been getting a large amount of airtime in the Auschwitz programs on BBC2 recently

The first movement is string based frequency sweep starting with the double basses continuing to the violins - most moving

It's also being used most appropriately to accompany the BBC2 series Auschwitz shown at 9pm
Tuesday. A program that should be enforced viewing, especially for the over privaliged, spoilt, arrogant brats that have spilled forth from the occupiers at the end of the Mall
Sorry Rant over.
oldie.

Hear Hear oldie.

Howard

If you find you enjoy Gorecki (whose name is indeed pronounced "Goretski"), two similar polish composers worth investigating are Krzysztof Penderecki and Witold Lutoslawski. Both Penderecki and Lutoslawski are a bit more challenging than Gorecki because their music tends to be more complex and a bit experimental, but both are quite capable of some very effective and emotionally dark stuff.

Penderecki's "Polish Requiem" is excellent, as is his 2nd Cello Concerto.

Lutoslawski's fourth symphony is also very good.

quote:

Originally posted by BigH47:
Hear Hear oldie.

Howard

Don't encourage him please

Howard,
I need all the encouragement I can get, Take no notice of Rasher.He knows just how restrained I have been in my comments,and with just a little more encouragement I could really vent my spleen on that worthless bunch of Parasitical--- Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh I had better stop or else I'll cause poor old Mick to have apoplexy, Wherever he is hiding at the moment
oldie
PS I still think its a great piece of music that admirably illustrates musically the sadness and depravation caused by ignorance and Mankinds inhumanity to his fellow man,it has given me cause for traumatic emotians for many years now."ENJOY" is not a word I would use to discribe the feelings this piece of music evokes.

Try also Preisners's requiem, and some Arvo Part.

Bruce

I would add Kilar to the list, but his stuff is very difficult to find - apart from some indifferent film scores.

Ok - had a quick listen last night on my portable (250 is at Salisbury).

The opening movement is soooooo quiet - is this normal?

It's the 2nd movement that's used in our play - I like this a lot.

Will have a 'proper' listen very soon.

I owe my introduction to this to Oldie, who played it to me a few weeks ago. I have played it so many times since. I love it.

The opening movement is quiet but it is also very low in frequency - using double bass and cellos - really needs a good bass response on the speakers to get the best out of it - or an oscilloscope <g>

Excellent piece of music first heard on CFM and just had to find out who composed it etc....purchased the Dawn Upshaw/London Sinfonietta version on Electra cd.
John Taverner's music is also very uplifting when listening to this "genre".

dennis

I agree that 'Symphony of Sorrows' is a very moving piece of music. It has been used so often as background music on tv programmes about concentration camps and the Holocaust that I can no longer ever listen to it without those terrible images coming to mind. Maybe that's as it should be.

I dont find this music depressing. Its rather uplifting to think that anyone can face such awful events and then create such intensely beautiful music. I hope I do not invite any Ken Livingstone type responses. For I hope that we will not see similar catalysts for beautiful music ever again.
If anyone wants another addition to this genre, I would suggest Der Abscheid from Mahler's Das Leider Von der Erde......

I forgot the medication this morning.....

David