Zofia Kilanowicz - Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"); Three Olden Style Pieces
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Free Music Notes for Górecki: Symphony No. 3 ("Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"); Three Olden Style Pieces
Free Music Review: Surprisingly good
Hit: 5 Stars
I bought this disc for the Three Pieces in Old Style, since I already owned the Upshaw/Zinman recording. The 3 pieces are wonderful. Similar in style to the Third Symphony, they each have a distinctive mood, however. The rendering of the Third Symphony is very good. It is every bit as affecting as the Nonesuch recording mentioned earlier. The Polish diction is of course flawless, and the soprano does a really excellent job of shaping the line. At the Naxos price, you can't go wrong with this disc.Free Music Review: PREFERRED VERSION
Hit: 5 Stars
This authentic and Polish version is now my favourite. I had lived with the Upshaw rendition for years - and find the video with the composer to be harrowing and effective mainly because of the visuals - but this new version eclipses that old standby. Maybe it has something to do with the authentic pronounciation and inflection of the poems as rendered by a native-born Polish soprano. She is AMAZING! She has a power and projection of voice that is characteristic of Eastern European sopranos in general. The conducting of Antoni Wit is exemplary and the orchestra plays with conviction and passion. The acoustic is broad and deep and adds to the general gloom of Gorecki's magnum opus. The other works on the disc are less interesting for some but have their merits. Buy this disc for the sorrowful symphony and wallow in three long adagios of unsurpassing beauty and poignancy. It is a transcendent work and one that every thinking and sensitive person should have in their intellectual repertoire.Tim Wingate from Ottawa, Ontario CanadaFree Music Review: Melancholic Prime
Hit: 5 Stars
For quite some time, this has been one of my most played albums. Henryk Gorecki certainly possesses the power to pen some very moving, albiet dreary symphonies, while disregarding the bouncy aesthetics of most composers, and, in turn, utilizing more emotion and less pretense. What words would be best used to describe such a piece? Brilliant, yes. Sorrowful, definitely. I actually prefer this version of the symphony more than any others I've heard, as the really slow tempo enhances the overall power of the piece. A clean recording and wonderful presentations also compliment the music within, as well as some terrific linear notes that provide both information on the composer and "The Symphony Of Sorrowful Songs", Symphony no. 3.
Free Music Review: Excellent vocals, beautiful music, tempo a tad slow
Hit: 4 Stars
Having played the Upshaw version enough times to burn a hole in the CD, my sensibilities for this piece have been certainly biased. However, I find Kilanowisz's approach (on Naxos) more powerful in it's natural, non-operatic style. It is the pacing of the orchestra that lets me down in the Naxos recording. The subtle nuances as this music shifts from one theme to the next are done so beautifully on the Elektra release that, for me, the superior direction of the London Sinfonietta outweighs the exquisite singing of Zofia Kilanowicz. Both versions are worth having though and the second movement of the Naxos rendition is perhaps the most transcendental 10 minutes of music I've ever heard. Because I love this symphony so much, I'm sure I'll buy other recordings of it and I can't wait for the opportunity to hear it live.Free Music Review: superb rendition of a beautifully dark work
Hit: 5 Stars
i bought this based on the cover art (munch's "the scream") and the low naxos price. i'd never heard of gorecki before... part of living in a cave?wow! this is just amazing- it starts with slow, low, sawing strings that drag you through the bowels of despair, then slowly over almost 15 minutes takes you through a repeating, building universe of sadness.
then zofia kilanowicz's voice comes in with some simple piano notes. she's almost angelic, and it breaks your heart. the 2nd and 3rd movements are very different but equally beautiful.
naxos provides excellent liner notes with lyrics in english and polish. ok, this isn't avante-garde music, and some have critized gorecki for writing something "too accessible", but it's still beautiful.
spend the paltry sum and get this important work.