Building a Collection #61: Górecki's Symphony no. 3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
With recommended recordings
Building a Collection #61
Symphony no. 3, Op. 36
By Henryk Górecki
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“Perhaps people find something they need in this piece of music… something they are seeking.”
- Henryk Górecki
Welcome back! We have made it to #61 in the Building a Collection series on our way to covering the top 250 classical works of all-time. At #61 is a work which was composed in 1976 if you can believe it: Polish composer Henryk Górecki’s Symphony no. 3, also known as the Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, a work which lived in relative obscurity until the 1992 release of the symphony performed by David Zinman, Dawn Upshaw, and the London Sinfonietta on the Nonesuch label. The symphony and the recording have become one of the greatest success stories in the history of classical music.
Henryk Górecki
Polish composer Henryk Górecki (1933 - 2010) was a contemporary classical composer who was known as an avant-garde composer of the post-Stalin years, especially in the 1950s and 1960s. Górecki composed works which emphasized extreme dissonance, and which followed the lead of serialist composers such as Pierre Boulez, Karlheinz Stockhausen, and Anton Webern. Even though the political climate at the time was not friendly to modern art, composers such as Górecki enjoyed a period of freedom after the Warsaw Autumn festival of 1956. Several of Górecki’s works received critical acclaim, including Scontri and his First Symphony.
But by the 1970s, Górecki began to turn away from dissonance and serialism and started composing works using a minimalist approach with simple textures. He began to compose tonal and melodic works with simple harmonies and progressions which were reminiscent of medieval chant or modes, although Górecki enhanced these with more development. Along with his Symphony no. 3, and the choral pieces Euntes ibant et flebant (1972) and Amen (1975), Górecki took a huge step away from his previous style and embraced a starkly minimalist style. In this he joined composers such as John Tavener and Arvo Pärt in what some critics term “holy minimalism” because most of their works have religious, spiritual, or sacred themes. After his Symphony no. 3, Górecki would go on to further develop this style in works such as his Miserere, Beatus Vir, and his requiem Good Night.
But with his Symphony no. 3, Górecki would strike gold. The reasons why this piece resonated with so many are somewhat difficult to explain, but there is no doubt it stands as his greatest success. This work alone explains Górecki’s place as the most commercially successful contemporary classical composer in history. However, the huge success of the symphony unfortunately did not translate into more interest in Górecki’s other compositions.
Górecki is a national hero in Poland, although as a composer he felt closest to German composers such as Bach, Schubert, and Mozart. But for us in the twenty-first century, he reminds us more of composers such as Olivier Messiaen and Charles Ives, composers that also significantly changed their compositional styles in the middle of their careers.
Symphony no. 3 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs”
Górecki’s Symphony no. 3 is a three-movement symphony with a solo soprano singing texts in Polish in each movement. The first movement is a 15th-century Polish lament of Mary, mother of Jesus; the second is a message written on the wall of a Gestapo prison cell during World War II; and the third is a Silesian folk song of a mother searching for her son killed by the Germans in the Silesian uprisings. The first and third movements are written from the perspective of a parent who has lost a child, and the second movement from that of a child separated from a parent. The dominant themes of the symphony are motherhood, despair and suffering. Hence the subtitle Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.
The score calls for solo soprano, 4 flutes (3rd and 4th doubling piccolo), 4 clarinets, 2 bassoons, 2 contrabassoons, 4 horns, 4 trombones, harp, piano, and strings (first and second violins, violas, cellos, and double basses). The symphony is about 54 minutes long. It is noteworthy that all three movements are marked Lento (slow) and there is very little variation in tempo. Also, even though woodwinds, horns and trombones make a very brief appearance in the first movement, the vast majority of the symphony is played without brass or woodwind instruments. Strings dominate the landscape, and while there are gradations of dynamics, at no point does the symphony become loud. Musicologist Adrian Thomas comments that the symphony hardly uses any dissonance at all, and that the level of virtuosity required to play the symphony is considerably lower than most symphonies. He also notes it would be difficult to trace the work to any other stylistic influences from other composers, although there are hints of Bach, Schubert, Tchaikovsky, and even Debussy.
The symphony is built around relatively simple harmonies in a style which makes use of medieval musical modes, but otherwise does not follow a medieval style in structure. Górecki uses relatively long and sustained notes and chords in repeating patterns. This creates a contemplative atmosphere, indeed an almost medieval sound world which can be hypnotic and meditative. The lovely writing for soprano is similar, and it has a mournful yet healing quality to it. While there is a beguiling simplicity to the music, Górecki actually used patterns in a methodical and formal way. The repeating musical patterns are calm and serene, contrasting strongly with the tragic content of the texts, with the musical background to the words being more hopeful and transcendent than the words themselves. This is really the secret to the work’s appeal and durability.
In the early 1970s Górecki began looking for traditional melodies as inspiration for a new work. He had been influenced by Polish history, but also by Polish folk music as well as Roman Catholic liturgical music (Górecki was a devout Catholic). Górecki focused on some melodies he liked from the Polish folklorist Adolf Dygacz, but it is unclear whether he actually used these melodies, whether he borrowed some ideas from medieval chant, or whether the ideas are all completely original. But in terms of the texts Górecki chose, program annotator Harlow Robinson comments:
In the first movement the Virgin Mary addresses her son Jesus dying on the cross, using the fourth verse of the Holy Cross Lament from a mid-15th-century Polish manuscript. This is by far the longest movement, and perhaps the most dramatically scored.
For the second movement Górecki found a short sentence scrawled on the wall of the infamous Nazi prison “Palace” in the Zakopane region by 18-year-old Helena Wanda Bła˙zusiakówna, who was imprisoned there in 1944. Helena’s plea was addressed to her own mother and to the Mother of God. To Helena’s three-line plea Górecki added the first words of the Polish Ave Maria (“Zdrowa´s Mario”), sung like a church chant on a single pitch.
The longer text for the third movement was actually the first one Górecki had chosen: a folk lament by a mother who has lost her son in an uprising. It is believed to be from the Silesian Uprisings of 1919-21, when Poles rebelled against the German Weimar Republic’s attempts to claim Polish territory in the aftermath of World War I.
The texts which appear in each movement as follows (here translated to English):
I. Lento—Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile
My son, my chosen and beloved
Share your wounds with your mother
And because, dear son, I have always carried you in my heart,
And always served you faithfully
Speak to your mother, to make her happy,
Although you are already leaving me, my cherished hope.
II. Lento e largo—Tranquillissimo
No, Mother, do not weep,
Most chaste Queen of Heaven
Support me always.
III. Lento—Cantabile-semplice
Where has he gone
My dearest son?
Perhaps during the uprising
The cruel enemy killed him
Ah, you bad people
In the name of God, the most Holy,
Tell me, why did you kill
My son?
Never again
Will I have his support
Even if I cry
My old eyes out
Were my bitter tears
to create another River Oder
They would not restore to life
My son
He lies in his grave
and I know not where
Though I keep asking people
Everywhere
Perhaps the poor child
Lies in a rough ditch
and instead he could have been
lying in his warm bed
Oh, sing for him
God's little song-birds
Since his mother
Cannot find him
And you, God's little flowers
May you blossom all around
So that my son
May sleep happily
Interestingly, Górecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs became rather strongly associated with the Holocaust and the horror of the concentration camps (even though this is only mentioned in the second movement). This connection likely came from the use of the music in Tony Palmer’s 1993 film The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, which depicts graphic footage of the concentration camps accompanied by Górecki's music. In the 1960s, Górecki had been asked to compose music that was a response to the Holocaust, and in particular Auschwitz, but he never completed the project. In the period after his symphony became so popular Górecki consistently discouraged it from being interpreted as a response to the Holocaust. He never explained the symphony as a response to any historical or political event. Rather it is to be seen simply as the bond between mother and child. Górecki himself stated:
“Many of my family died in concentration camps. I had a grandfather who was in Dachau, an aunt in Auschwitz. You know how it is between Poles and Germans. But Bach was a German too—and Schubert, and Strauss. Everyone has his place on this little earth. That’s all behind me. So the Third Symphony is not about war; it’s not a Dies irae. It’s a normal Symphony of Sorrowful Songs.”
Music from the symphony has been used in numerous films, TV series, and soundtracks. The symphony was dedicated to his wife Jadwiga Ruranska, and when he was asked why, Górecki replied, “Who was I supposed to dedicate it to?”.
The Essential Recording
Recorded in 1991 and released in 1992 on the Nonesuch label (part of Warner), the landmark recording of Górecki's Symphony No. 3 is from David Zinman and the London Sinfonietta with soprano Dawn Upshaw. It was not the first recording of the work, but it achieved much wider circulation and was promoted by Classic FM, one of the UK’s independent national radio stations.
Henryk Górecki was as surprised as anyone when the album became an international sensation, selling over 700,000 copies in the first two years (and well over a million now).
Along with the Solidarity movement for freedom in Poland, and with having a Polish pope in Saint Pope John Paul II, Górecki brought notoriety to his homeland, and he became a sort of folk hero. In fact, his newfound fame was puzzling to the composer. As told by Harlow Robinson in the BSO program notes, Robert Hurwitz of Nonesuch Records recalled:
“The first royalty check he got was in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and he kept it in his wallet for a long enough time that we had to reissue it, because he wouldn’t cash it. It may just have been such a shock to all of a sudden go from someone who had struggled to find recognition, to someone who was at that moment as famous as any modern composer in the world.”
Many critics and musicologists attribute the album’s success to a perfect storm combining the success of the compact disc format, the music resonating with the people’s mood at that time, and the incredibly human subject and text. Let’s not forget the beauty and simplicity of the music as well. While some critics scoffed at the album’s success, and called the symphony itself too long, too slow, or too repetitive, it is clear Górecki created something special which has deeply impacted listeners.
The London Sinfonietta is a chamber group that was formed to perform modern and contemporary classics. I find their performance here to be superlative in every way, although the recorded sound lacks the last ounce of clarity and warmth. But the major draw for me is the soprano Dawn Upshaw due to her light and angelic sounding voice throughout. At the time this recording was made, Upshaw was in the midst of a major international career in opera and the stage. I always enjoyed the quality of her voice. She had the tendency to “scoop” notes upward, and in fact she does that several times on this recording as well. But for some reason I feel that it works quite well and actually heightens the intensity and drama in the first and last movements especially. For me listening to this symphony is inextricably linked to Upshaw’s voice, and the sopranos on all other recordings must be compared to her. As for her Polish, I cannot speak to that with any expertise. Upshaw sounds perfect for the music and the text in my opinion.
Zinman is a bit on the quicker side, and textures are lighter than those using Polish forces below. Things keep moving, and he avoids dragging out the pathos or weighing down the strings too much. The hope and transcendence of the music shines through, and the brighter tone of Upshaw’s voice reflects this more hopeful vibe rather than the utter tragedy of the text. As mentioned, the sound is not perfect, but more than adequate in ambience and depth.
Some claim that a few of the recordings below are more authentically Polish or are more idiomatic. I’m not sure to be honest. But in terms of the performance by the orchestra and by Upshaw, as well as this album’s importance in communicating Górecki’s vision, this one has never been surpassed.
Other Recommended Recordings
The next recommended recording of Górecki's Symphony No. 3 came along in 1993 on the budget Naxos label performed by the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (based in Katowice, home of Górecki) under Polish conductor Antoni Wit joined by soprano Zofia Kilanowicz. This is a superb account with weighty strings and a darker atmosphere overall. Wit leads a reading that gives more attention to the mysterious and ethereal qualities of the music, and soprano Kilanowicz has a deeper, more emotional, and more powerful voice than Upshaw on the Zinman set…although she is not quite as angelic sounding. The recording venue creates a nice halo around the sound which I believe is an asset to the performance. The warmth, power, and radiance of this recording are very satisfying, and there is also a tenderness too in the rendering of the texts.
Another excellent Polish production dates from 1994 with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Polish conductor Kazimierz Kord, with soprano Joanna Kozłowska, on Decca. First, to my ears this recording has the best sound of any of the recommended recordings with great detail, resonance, and plenty of warmth. Similar to Wit’s recording, this one is slower, heavier, and it feels more reverential and meditative. While the soprano Kozłowska has a darker and deeper voice than Upshaw, she is much more believable as a mother in mourning. Not surprisingly, she also sounds more at home with the language. Her singing has a tragic and pleading quality that fits the text quite well. There is a profound depth and intensity to her singing which in some ways raises this recording above the Zinman set, although the slower pace may actually be too slow for some listeners. The orchestra is captured wonderfully, though some may find the strings in the final movement more uneven and rough than the smoother Zinman performance. In any case, this is certainly recommended.
Lastly there is a recording from the year 2000 with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra led by Japanese conductor Takuo Yuasa, accompanied by Australian soprano Yvonne Kenny, reissued on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s own label. Kenny is especially impressive and convincing as a grieving mother, all the while maintaining her beautiful, firm tone. She has more expression in her voice than Upshaw and is able to float the high notes when needed, though it must be conceded Upshaw brings something unique to this music. The tempos are not as slow as on the Polish versions above, and indeed are even a bit quicker than Zinman. But I never perceived the performance being too fast. If anything, the tension is more palpable in the slow buildup in the first movement, and while the second movement is more subdued, that does not mean less emotional. Yuasa and Kenny are a good team, and they find an ideal balance in the sound which gives just the right prominence to the orchestra along with the solo soprano. The sound is clear and glowing, and feels somewhat more closely miked than the Katowice and Warsaw versions.
Honorable Mention
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden / Ernest Bour / Stefania Woytowicz (Warner 1985)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra / Yuri Simonov / Susan Gritton (Alto 2007)
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra / Donald Runnicles / Christine Brewer (Telarc 2009)
Thanks to everyone again for your readership and support! Join me next time when we discuss Giuseppe Verdi’s blockbuster opera La Traviata. See you then!
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Notes:
Blum, Ronald. "The Impact of Górecki's Symphony No. 3". Chicago Sun-Times, 26 June 1994.
Howard, Luke B. (2007). "Henryk M. Górecki Symphony No.3 (1976) as a Symbol of Polish Political History". The Polish Review. 52 (2): 215–222.
Jacobson, Bernard (1995). A Polish Renaissance. London: Phaidon. ISBN 0-7148-3251-0.
Kertesz, Imre. "Górecki's Symphony no.3, 'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs' Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine". Le Chercheur de traces. Retrieved on 7 July 2007.
Morin, Alexander (2002). Classical Music: The Listener's Companion. San Francisco, California: Backbeat Books. ISBN 0-87930-638-6.
Robinson, Harlow. Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. Boston Symphony Orchestra Program Notes. Online at https://www.bso.org/works/symphony-no-3-symphony-of-sorrowful-songs.
Ross, Alex (30 January 2015). "Cult Fame and Its Discontents". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015.
Steinberg, Michael (1995). The Symphony: A Listener's Guide. New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-512665-3.
Thomas, Adrian (1997). Górecki. Oxford; New York: Clarendon Press; Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-816393-2.