It is well known that Henryk Górecki received worldwide
fame practically overnight with the 1992 release on Nonesuch
of his Symphony No. 3. The artists were the London Sinfonietta
under David Zinman with Dawn Upshaw as soprano soloist and they
were recorded in May 1991.
Though he composed the symphony as long ago as 1976, he was
little known outside his native Poland until that rather freak
occurrence. While he is probably still best known today for
that symphony, the two works on the CD under review are
far more typical of the composer’s style. The first of
these, the Kleines Requiem, is the best place for a listener
who knows only the Third Symphony to gain a real appreciation
of Górecki’s music. The symphony with its three
successive slow movements is very static in nature. The Requiem
contrasts the static (first and last movements) with the dynamic
(second and third). As Bernard Jacobson suggests in his very
illuminating notes, the influence of Messiaen on Górecki
with his contrasts of loud and soft is very apparent in both
works. Jacobson also mentions Bartók and Janáček
as composers who have similarities to Górecki, the latter
in the use of incisive and lively rhythmic patterns. I hear
a greater likeness to one of Górecki’s direct contemporaries,
the Georgian Giya Kancheli whose music often emphasizes sudden
dynamic contrasts.
Whereas much of Górecki’s music is very dark and
serious, the Kleines Requiem für eine Polka contains humorous
elements. This is notable in the third movement which is in
fact a catchy polka. The work begins very quietly with the piano
playing a simple tune with tubular bells accompanying softly.
The violins enter with a melody over the piano. After about
five minutes, the music suddenly gets loud but soon retreats
to its earlier mood with the piano’s simple tune with
bells. It ends quietly. The second movement breaks in without
a pause and is loud and agitated with brass taking the lead.
Then comes the comic polka led by the strings and winds with
the piano playing the polka rhythm. The last movement returns
to the quiet of the first with a bell sounding before the strings
play a lyrical hymn. The bell and piano are in the background
until the horn adds a quiet solo to the mix. It continues thus
until near the end when the piano and distant bells make a passing
reference to the opening of the first movement. Górecki
composed the work for the performers on this disc, so one may
justifiably call this recording authoritative. It is certainly
well performed by the thirteen members of the ensemble, which
includes flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, horn, trumpet, trombone,
percussion, two violins, viola, cello and double bass. Of all
the Górecki I’ve heard I find this the most interesting,
as it does not outstay its welcome.
Lerchenmusik for clarinet, cello, and piano, on the other hand,
can try one’s patience. It is nearly twice as long as
the Requiem but lacks the sheer variety of the other work. It
comprises three movements, each basically in a slow tempo. The
first movement begins quietly in the lower register of the cello
and for the first six minutes or so it remains quiet. Then the
piano explodes with a series of loud incessantly repeated birdcalls
over the cello - all very reminiscent of Messiaen. A couple
of minutes later there is a new, loud pattern taken up by the
clarinet. This also repeats and then combines with the birdcalls.
The movement ends quietly and one is relieved that it is over.
The second movement features the clarinet with a solo in the
beginning that builds slowly until it too becomes loud and nearly
unbearable. Luckily, the piano takes over later and the movement
ends quietly. The three instruments come together in the finale
with the piano playing repeated chords similar to those in the
first movement of Beethoven’s Fourth Piano Concerto. However,
after about a minute of quiet chords, the music gets loud and
there are more insistent avian noises. These alternate with
the quiet chords and make this movement easier to digest than
the others. There is a particularly beautiful passage starting
at 3:36, where the Beethovenian repeated chords on the piano
over a sustained cello line create a hymn-like atmosphere. And
so it continues for some fifteen minutes with the quiet even
restful music alternating with louder pounding chords on the
piano. At one point Górecki quotes Beethoven directly,
before the clarinet enters with a songful passage accompanied
by cello and piano. The music dies away quietly, with the piano
playing softly in a high register. Like the other work on the
disc, one cannot imagine a better performance than the one here.
If you are a fan of Górecki, you will not need my recommendation.
If, however, you have not been exposed to much of his music
or only the Third Symphony, you may want to try another recording
of the Kleines Requiem. David Zinman and the London Sinfonietta
recorded it for Nonesuch, a disc that also contains the short
and attractive Harpsichord Concerto, and the work entitled “Good
Night” for soprano, alto flute, 5 tam-tams, and piano,
with Dawn Upshaw as soloist. That disc perhaps offers the best
sampling of Górecki’s music beyond the Third Symphony.
The performances are as good as any, including the one of the
Kleines Requiem on the present disc. Incidentally, the main
theme in the Third Symphony’s first movement is rather
similar to the one in the second movement of Shostakovich’s
Piano Quintet. I have not read anywhere that Górecki
intentionally borrowed it from Shostakovich.
One further note on the present disc: this is a reissue of material
originally appearing on the Philips label and is offered at
budget cost. The entire production, including Bernard Jacobson’s
invaluable notes, is fully up to the standards of a full-priced
CD. The timings on the back of the case, though, are inaccurate
and I have listed the correct ones in the head-note above.
Leslie Wright
Schönberg Ensemble/Reinbert de Leeuw (Requiem) 
