Henryk Gorecki: Symphony No.2 (1972)

The Symphony No. 2 by Henryk Gorecki (1933-2010) is a major work; of that there can be no doubt whatsoever. The background to the composition was a commission from the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York to produce a piece of music to celebrate the half millennium of the great Polish astronomer Mikolaj Kopernik (1473-1543) - better known to the world as Copernicus.

What resulted was a work that touched the heavens but is also deeply rooted on earth. Gorecki uses a whole range of material to produce what can only be regarded as a timeless masterpiece.

What was Copernicus' achievement? Quite simply he was the first person (in modern times) to suggest that the world went round the sun. It is as simple as that. But with this straightforward discovery he turned the entire scientific and theological system upside down. It was the end of an era. Humankind was no longer the centre of the universe. Gorecki himself wrote, '…we became nothing. Hence the duality of the two-movement symphony; first the whole mechanism, let us say, of the world, followed by contemplation.' And that is exactly what the piece achieves.

The first movement opens with great clusters of sound; dense, mechanical, and violent. It seems to describe the mechanical lumbering of the universe as it churns on its journey through time and space. There is a pause from this fearsome construction. A gentler version of this material gives the listener a respite from the opening pages. There are digressions; many with unusual sonorities, before the return of the first theme complete with full choir.

The second movement makes use of soprano and baritone. Here the effect can at times be almost operatic. They sing long phrases at two octaves apart. But before this great song the baritone struggles to realise what the importance of the Copernican revolution actually is. Here there are intimations of the later 3rd symphony. The second movement closes with what I think is the finest ending of almost any symphony. Time itself is made to stand still. One is reminded of the effect of certain pieces by Messiaen and the later school of minimalists. Yet there is a great beauty in these closing pages. Simple yet exceedingly complex. There is no doubt in my mind that the Symphony ends on an optimistic note. In spite of the great 'world shattering' discovery of Copernicus, God is still the God 'who created the heavens and the earth ... the sun to rule by day, the moon and stars to rule by night'. So, in some respects nothing has changed.

Antoni Wit and his forces handle this symphony admirably. The sound scheme created by Gorecki straddles two worlds: Polish experimentalists such as Penderecki and Lutoslawski and the new 'accessible' style first really apparent in Gorecki’s In Olden Style (1962). The soprano is radiant, and the baritone infuses the music with a sense of wonderment and discovery.

I was talking to a musical friend of mine the other day about this review and she asked me if this Symphony would become as famous as the 3rd that was widely played on Classic FM. That one had even reached 'number one' in the classical 'top ten'. I am not sure. I somehow doubt it. The media caravan has probably moved on. However, I am more at home with this present symphony. I feel that at the end of the day, it will be the 2nd Symphony that is regarded as the defining masterpiece of Gorecki's career.

With its mix of tension, horror, and optimism, it is an appropriate piece to commemorate the 80^th Anniversary of the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944.

Listen to the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Choir and Silesian Philharmonic Choir conducted by Antoni Wit with Andrzej Dobber, baritone and Zofia Kilanowicz, on YouTube, here. It was issued on Naxos 8.555375.