Górecki: Kleines Requiem für eine Polka / Harpsichord Concerto / Good Night

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DescriptionExcerpt

The three works presented here capture the stylistic qualities that launched Gόrecki to international fame with his Third Symphony: direct, honest, and haunting. Experimental yet firmly grounded in the Western concert tradition, these constantly unfolding, meditative pieces utilize the classic formats of requiem and concerto as a springboard for the mystical minimalist approach for which the composer is renowned.

Description

The three works presented here capture the stylistic qualities that launched Gόrecki to international fame with his Third Symphony: direct, honest, and haunting. Experimental yet firmly grounded in the Western concert tradition, these constantly unfolding, meditative pieces utilize the classic formats of requiem and concerto as a springboard for the mystical minimalist approach for which the composer is renowned.

ProductionCredits

PRODUCTION CREDITS
Produced by Philip Waldway
Tracks 1-4 recorded February 12, 1994 at Henry Wood Hall, London, England
Engineered by Kees de Visser, Galaxy Studios, Mol, Belgium
Track 5, 6 recorded December 17, 1994 at All Saints Church, Surrey, England
Engineered by Tryggvi Tryggvason, Modus Music, Middlesex, England
Tracks 7-9 recorded June 5, 1993 at Henry Wood Hall, London, England
Engineered by Tony Faulkner, Green Room Productions, Middlesex, England
Editing and mastering engineer: Kees de Visser

Design by John Heiden
Photograph by William Clift

Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz

Nonesuch Selection Number

79362

Number of Discs in Set
1disc
Album Status
Artist Name
Henryk Górecki
MusicianDetails

MUSICIANS
London Sinfonietta, with:

Kleines Requiem für eine Polka
David Zinman, conductor
Sebastian Bell, flute
Melinda Maxwell, oboe
Timothy Lines, clarinet
John Orford, bassoon
Anthony Halstead, horn
Andrew Crowley, trumpet
David Purser, trombone
John Constable, piano
James Holland, tubular bells
Nona Liddell, Joan Atherton, violin
Levine Andrade, viola
Christopher van Kampen, cello
Robin McGee, double bass

Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra
Markus Stenz, conductor
Elzbeita Chojnacka, harpsichord
Nona Liddell, lead violin

Good Night
Dawn Upshaw, soprano
David Hockings, tam-tams
John Constable, piano
Sebastian Bell, alto flute

Cover Art
UPC/Price
Label
MP3
Price
8.00
UPC
603497076062
  • Górecki: Kleines Requiem für eine Polka / Harpsichord Concerto / Good Night
    by

  • 79362

News & Reviews

  • Polish composer Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, was released on Nonesuch Records 25 years ago today, April 24, 1992. Górecki had composed the piece in 1976, but it didn't appear on disc until then. The recording of the emotionally affecting piece, featuring soprano Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta led by conductor David Zinman, proved spellbinding to a diverse international audience, becoming the highest-selling album ever by a contemporary composer. "Perhaps people find something they need in this piece of music," Górecki speculated. "Somehow I hit the right note, something they were missing."

  • Today marks the release of the late Henryk Górecki’s final composition, Symphony No. 4, Tansman Episodes, recorded during the 2014 world premiere performance at Royal Festival Hall with London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Andrey Boreyko. The piece, incomplete at the time of Górecki’s death, had precise indications for orchestration, which Górecki’s son Mikolaj, also a composer, used to complete it. NPR calls it "an intriguing summation of the sounds of a singular career." Symphony No. 4 is out individually and as part of Henryk Górecki: A Nonesuch Retrospective, a seven-disc box set containing all Nonesuch recordings of Górecki works. Also out now: the first vinyl LP of the beloved 1992 Nonesuch recording of Górecki’s Symphony No. 3.

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  • About This Album

    The three works presented here capture the stylistic qualities that launched Gόrecki to international fame with his Third Symphony: direct, honest, and haunting. Experimental yet firmly grounded in the Western concert tradition, these constantly unfolding, meditative pieces utilize the classic formats of requiem and concerto as a springboard for the mystical minimalist approach for which the composer is renowned.

    Credits

    MUSICIANS
    London Sinfonietta, with:

    Kleines Requiem für eine Polka
    David Zinman, conductor
    Sebastian Bell, flute
    Melinda Maxwell, oboe
    Timothy Lines, clarinet
    John Orford, bassoon
    Anthony Halstead, horn
    Andrew Crowley, trumpet
    David Purser, trombone
    John Constable, piano
    James Holland, tubular bells
    Nona Liddell, Joan Atherton, violin
    Levine Andrade, viola
    Christopher van Kampen, cello
    Robin McGee, double bass

    Concerto for Harpsichord and String Orchestra
    Markus Stenz, conductor
    Elzbeita Chojnacka, harpsichord
    Nona Liddell, lead violin

    Good Night
    Dawn Upshaw, soprano
    David Hockings, tam-tams
    John Constable, piano
    Sebastian Bell, alto flute

    PRODUCTION CREDITS
    Produced by Philip Waldway
    Tracks 1-4 recorded February 12, 1994 at Henry Wood Hall, London, England
    Engineered by Kees de Visser, Galaxy Studios, Mol, Belgium
    Track 5, 6 recorded December 17, 1994 at All Saints Church, Surrey, England
    Engineered by Tryggvi Tryggvason, Modus Music, Middlesex, England
    Tracks 7-9 recorded June 5, 1993 at Henry Wood Hall, London, England
    Engineered by Tony Faulkner, Green Room Productions, Middlesex, England
    Editing and mastering engineer: Kees de Visser

    Design by John Heiden
    Photograph by William Clift

    Executive Producer: Robert Hurwitz