Customer Reviews

Symphony No. 3

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4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

This disc is truly the best of both worlds: an amazingly cheap (cheap! not merely affordable) classical disc of a fascinating piece of musical magnificently performed. Despite the presence of premium priced versions of this haunting piece of music (as well as at least one other very good bargain version), Antoni Wit directing the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra manages to outshine the competition. I knew two previous versions of this before, the famous Nonesuch with David Zinman and Dawn Upshaw, and the Philips with Joanna Kozlowska undertaking the vocals.

I recommend this version over the alternatives for four reasons. First, the price is unbeatable. Second, I believe the performance is marginally better than its competitors. Third, the remarkable singing of Zofia Kilanowicz. Fourth, unlike some recordings of this symphony, the disc contains not only the symphony itself, but "Three Olden Style Pieces," which while not as interesting as the main piece are not without interest. In short, this disc features the best performance, is offered at the best price, and contains more music than its competitors.

I do want to question the logic behind one of the other reviews. A reviewer from Derbyshire has expressed his belief that this music is somehow intellectually inferior and that its effects can be as harmful as a drug. I'm sure this was meant hyperbolically, but even granting this, this seems to me to indicate some confusion. In fact, the point is confusedly made. He grants that in Ravel (in the Bolero, a piece that I like not only less than most of the rest of Ravel's corpus but far less than the Gorecki) repetition is effective, and also in Beethoven. Why Gorecki's use of repetition is supposed (I emphasize "supposed") to be less effective is not made clear. Is it because the symphony is popular? Personally, I find the symphony haunting. The music strikes the listener with the simplicity of simple folks tunes and simple masses. Yes, it produces a stunning emotional reaction and can be almost mesmerizing. I personally do not see how this is a negative.

Although this is almost without question the most popular symphony of the past few decades, it has been subject to some criticism because it isn't sufficiently "modern." I worked for a couple of years at Symphony Center in Chicago, where the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performs. I was fascinated to hear backstage the intense hatred a significant number of the orchestra members had for the work of most recent composers. Someone like Gorecki, however, they liked. To me it seems like a perfect instance of the musicians themselves knowing that the emperors had no clothes. We have, I believe, at present something of a gap between fans of orchestral music and musicians on the one hand, and composers and composition teachers on the other. Contemporary orchestral compositions have been plummeting in popularity in the period following Stravinsky and other composers of the early twentieth century, and I would argue that the impossibility of enjoying these compositions on more than an intellectual level has been one of their greatest problems. I am not arguing that orchestral music should be anti-intellectual, but it can't be merely intellectual, as too much of it is.

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.

This is an absolutely wonderful recording from the Naxos label.

The recording quality is exemplary and the dynamic range powerful in its progressive
climb through the first movement -- but not so great as to necessitate changing the
volume part way through if driving or doing other activities while listening to the
piece.

Zofia Kilanowicz is breathtaking in her skill. Her clarity of tone is, to my ear, much
greater than Dawn Upshaw's. Further, her ability to partially suspend vibrato is a
great asset in this piece, emphasizing the deep sorrow that lies just beneath the
beauty of the presentation and lending to the crisp minimalist, modern feel of the
piece.

Lastly, to include the 3 Pieces in Olden style is simply a wonderful bonus on an
already shockingly well priced CD. The second of the three pieces was inspired by
the same folk melody that Gorecki again returns to in his chamber piece "Already it
is Dusk".

This is simply the best recording of this piece, at the best price and then topped off
with a bonus piece of music -- you can not go wrong.

Antoni Wit also does a fantastic job conducting the Polish National Radio
Symphony Orchestra (PNRSO) in the Naxos recording of Smetana's Ma Vlast --
also the best recording available of that piece (except possibly Rafael Kubelik on
DG -- but, it is roughly $20 and the Naxos is roughly $9).

I own three versions of this symphony. While I started with the Upshaw version and love it still, this version is now my favorite. One annoying feature of the Upshaw version is that the volume starts out so low that one can't even hardly tell the recording is playing, so you have to either have a calibrated volume control, or be prepared to be adjusting the volume half way through the first movement. While the broad dynamic range is certainly critical to the composition, the Naxos recording is not so annoying in this regard. The vocals are excellent, and I want to believe that the Polish National Orchestra plays the composition with more pride and feeling of ownership than the London Symphony; but maybe that more reflects my love for Poland, Eastern Europe in general, and the people. For the low price, this is an outstanding buy. If you want only one version, I recommend that this be your choice.

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.

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 Canada

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.

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.

i think gorecki's third was released for the first time back in '92 or so. according to _the economist_, it outsold madonna and stayed at the top of the pop charts for a time unprecendented by any symphonic recording. it should come as no surprise, i suppose, that even the artists of the then-burgeoning u.k. techno scene (such as beaumont hannant and pentatonik) were namechecking or sampling outright the third symphony, and with good reason.

gorecki's third is, to quote one of my old professors, 'heartbreakingly beautiful'. the raw, emotive phrases make the hair stand on end; the grayest windy-city mornings assume redemptively tragic proportions when this is your soundtrack.

i prefer this version to every other that i've heard, including the much-hyped, but kinda flat, nonesuch version with dawn upshaw. i'm uncertain about squishy notions like 'national character', but this presentation, performed by polish citizens, eclipses the exercise-like renditions of their american and british counterparts in depth and power. each movement develops slowly, taking its time and giving the listener an opportunity to find the right headspace. wit or whoever recorded this performance also downplayed the unnecessary french horn lines and gave more attention to the piano - the result is a much more striking and poignant piece.

This recording served as my introduction to the Gorecki Symphony No. 3. While the Nonesuch recording is simply marvelous, I prefer this one.

Antoni Wit is a wonderful conductor. Zofia Kilanowicz is a wonderful soprano. She captures the emotional import of the words and iterprets the music beautifully.

All in all, it is a wonderful recording.