Górecki's Third

Last night Candace and I went to the Atlanta Symphony again, this time to see Henryk Górecki's Symphony No.3 "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs". Although Górecki is considered to be a sort of minimalist, and although I own a recording of this piece (being his most famous work, generally available in any Barnes & Noble or Borders), I never really got into this piece, as the recording is too quiet to listen to in the car and it never really struck me. So I ended up going more out of support for new music at the ASO and to catch one of the rare minimalist pieces they program.

Let me just say how thankful I am that I went. This evening at the symphony was easily the best symphonic experience I've ever had. The evening consisted of Górecki's piece in the first half (the piece being just short of an hour in length) and of Brahms' Symphony No.3 in the second. The first thing that made this evening so special was the video installation they had hanging above the orchestra for the whole evening, as well as dimmed lights in the audience and special lighting on stage. This might not seem like such a big deal, but when compared with the visually unspectacular presentation we typically get at the ASO, this slight atmosphere change was enough to make the show feel special.

Then, within that context, the Górecki, although boring on the recording (I'm listening to it now), was ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC. Standing ovation worthy. Although the video certainly helped the piece on some level, I still think it would have been spectacular without it (especially considering it was written without any sort of visual support in mind). The whole effect though was so strong that I actually teared up in the first movement, something I can't remember happening in an art music concert in ages.

After this incredible hour, they could have programmed anything and I would have been fine with it, but as it turns out, the Brahms was quite nice too, especially the second half (I just looked in my iTunes and realized I have this recording too, although I'm certain I bought it only for some conducting class assignment and never listened to the whole thing...).

Overall, this was a fantastic evening, so much so that I have every intention of emailing the ASO to tell them they should start doing more of this instead of the generic "classics" they program out of some sense of duty to preserving musical museum-culture.
As for the Górecki itself, it's a difficult thing recommending a piece when you know the recording just doesn't do it justice, but I think you should definitely check out this piece live if ever given the chance, and possibly a recording other than the famous Dawn Upshaw album (make sure to read the text's translation as well).