Henryk Górecki
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Czernica, Silesia, Poland (1933 – 2010)
Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (born December 6, 1933 in Czernica, Silesia, Poland. Died 12 November 2010 in Katowice, Poland) was a Polish composer of classical music. Though his earlier work in the late 1950s and 1960s were characterised by a dissonant modernism influenced by Nono, Stockhausen and contemporaries Penderecki and Serocki, he moved in the mid 1970’s towards a ‘pure’ sacred minimalist sound encapsulated by the 1976 Symphony No. 3. Gorecki has since progressed through several distinct styles, from the reverence of Beatus Vir (1979), to the meditative Miserere (1981), to the spiritualism of Good Night (1990).
He was married to pianist Jadwiga Ruranska and has two children - Anna, also a pianist, and Mikołaj, a composer.
Attending the Katowice State Higher School of Music from 1952, Gorecki studied under the composer Bolesłav Szabelski, a former student of Karol Szymanowski. His first public performances were held in Katowice in February 1958, and showed clear influence from both Szymanowski and Bartók. By 1961 he had progressed to the modernism of Webern, Xenakis and Boulez and was at the forefront of the Polish avant-garde, with his Symphony No. 1 gaining international acclaim at the Paris Biennial Festival of Youth.
While continuing his studies in Paris, Górecki was influenced by contemporary composers such as Anton Webern, Olivier Messiaen and Karlheinz Stockhausen, composers which were at the time suppressed by the Polish government.
In 1975 Górecki was appointed Professor of Composition at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, but resigned his post in 1979, in protest against the government’s refusal to allow Pope John Paul II to visit the city.
He was married to pianist Jadwiga Ruranska and has two children - Anna, also a pianist, and Mikołaj, a composer.
Attending the Katowice State Higher School of Music from 1952, Gorecki studied under the composer Bolesłav Szabelski, a former student of Karol Szymanowski. His first public performances were held in Katowice in February 1958, and showed clear influence from both Szymanowski and Bartók. By 1961 he had progressed to the modernism of Webern, Xenakis and Boulez and was at the forefront of the Polish avant-garde, with his Symphony No. 1 gaining international acclaim at the Paris Biennial Festival of Youth.
While continuing his studies in Paris, Górecki was influenced by contemporary composers such as Anton Webern, Olivier Messiaen and Karlheinz Stockhausen, composers which were at the time suppressed by the Polish government.
In 1975 Górecki was appointed Professor of Composition at the State Higher School of Music in Katowice, but resigned his post in 1979, in protest against the government’s refusal to allow Pope John Paul II to visit the city.
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Symphony No 3
Henryk Górecki
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Symphony No.3
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3rd Symphony
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Shoutbox
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Rusubusu wrote:
jego muzyka jest fantastyczny<3
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the_eternal_sin wrote:
Can't find a lot of his published works :/ I'll have to check on my school's music databases or for the scores themselves I guess. Amazing and very underrated composer
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marcojpjb wrote:
3rd string quartet > 3rd symphony
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merEdaaa wrote:
He is not from this world!
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mottakelig wrote:
his music never will. RIP [2]
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OFOD wrote:
can't get over symphony no 3 [5]
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JeanValjean1830 wrote:
A un año de la muerte del gran compositor polaco. Hasta siempre Górecki.
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lebital wrote:
can't get over symphony no 3 [4]
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Saisuke wrote:
can't get over symphony no 3 [3]
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tim4tw wrote:
this shit gives me goosebumps. holy fuck!
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NINlife wrote:
can't get over symphony no 3
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Flooooood wrote:
Moya
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BOECK39 wrote:
beautiful music , very relaxing and peaceful .
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arlt wrote:
Sublime music! [2]
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bluebellinbloom wrote:
Sublime music!
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rosmaritbrum wrote:
simply fantastic and beautiful sound that arrangement...............
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cautivametal wrote:
If you like piano music and minimalism like Wim Mertens or Michael Nyman, you'll like this: http://www.lastfm.com/music/Jose+Travieso
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lKlT wrote:
Funny how lastfm refuses to scrobble his tracks under "Henryk Mikołaj Górecki". I guess Martin Luther King (if he would have been a musician) would be scrobbled as Martin King.
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BoT___ wrote:
"...too beautiful for words."
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GaryExo wrote:
RIP, Henryk. I thought I should actually post something here as I've been in love with his music since discovering Symphony No. 3 in 1992 courtesy of the astonishing performance and recording by the London Sinfonietta, conducted by David Zinman and featuring Dawn Upshaw. I went on to collect all his music. I hope his fourth symphony will finally be performed and recorded. I'm deeply sad that he will compose no more. My favourite piece of music of all time used to be "Song To The Siren" by This Mortal Coil but that was eclipsed by Symphony No. 3. Almost too beautiful for words.
Videos
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Play
H. M. Górecki - Concerto for…
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Gorecki Symphony No. 3…
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Gorecki - Symphony No. 3…
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Henryk Gorecki - Three Pieces…
Events
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Feb
19
Somerset Chamber Choir: Out of the East
King's College Chapel, Taunton, Somerset, United Kingdom
2 going
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May
11
Icons in Sound #1: Górecki
St. Peters Cathedral, Adelaide, Australia
3 going
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May
17
Ben Frost & Daníel Bjarnason: SÓLARIS
Művészetek Palotája, Budapest, Hungary
96 going
15 shouts
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