Henryk Górecki - Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Membran Music 222835-203 (2005) SACD rip via PS3 to iso (3.37GB) | 24bit/88.2kHz flac | Mch (2.93GB) (+5.98dB gain) | 2ch (1.07GB) DR13 (+5.99dB gain) | Classical SA-CD.net review by brenda April 14, 2005: What a find,- easily the best of the RPO discs I’ve heard so far and a performance which doesn’t deserve to have fallen from the catalogues in the first place. For those who don’t know this (almost ubiquitous) work, it was written in soviet-era Poland in 1975s and is characterised as a Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. It is based on Orthodox lament as well as folk song and uses minimal(ist) material to create tapestries of sound, sometimes soaring and sometimes dark and reverberant, which feature long sustained notes as well as gently dissonant clusters of notes. Imagine the Tallis fantasia accompanied by a Slavic Basso Profundo-sound (from the double basses and cellos) and suggestions of tolling bells (by the strings) and you’ll be on the right track, but its only a partial picture. The Symphony features three song sections, one in each movement: a mother’s lamentation, the words of an 18 year old female prisoner of the Gestapo and a mother’s confirmation of the loss of her son. Of course, there’s strong competition (on RBCD) from the original Nonesuch recording with Zinman and Dawn Upshaw and the Wit (on Naxos), both of which I’ve heard, and from another half-dozen recordings I haven’t heard. In the face of that competition, I’m not sure that Simonov has anything new to “say” but he provides no less of a performance than either Zinman or Wit. Indeed, he falls about half way between the two, being less sweet and glossy than Zinman and less austere than Wit. His pulse is just about right, except towards the end of the first movement after the soprano’s first song, where I felt the tension winding down, something not helped by the very abrupt arrival of the second movement (something that’s a real pain about all these RPO releases). A shame in view of the marvellous build-up of tension before the song. Zinman’s slightly quicker tempi are beautiful, but Simonov’s slower tempi are marvellously tense (up until the end of the first song, anyway). The wind and brass creep in from the first song onwards, and Simonov uses them (and the piano and harp) with subtlety. The second and third movements are even more successful, maintaining more disciplined, clear headed tempi and tread. After all the sorrow, pain, death and repression of the rest of the Symphony the work ends on a gentle A major chord, - a sort of “dare to hope for better” message in 1975 for an end to repression. Alas, this wonderful conclusion is followed immediately on the disc by the three Songs in the Olden Style, which, whilst lovely in their own right, prevent you (the listener) from completely absorbing what you’ve just heard. My recommendation is to program and play only the Symphony’s three tracks, let it stop, let yourself pause for breath (you’ll need it) and then press play and go straight to track 4 and the three songs (which are, despite the title, movements for string orchestra. The Soprano in the Symphony is the marvellous Susan Gritton, making her first recording after winning the Ferrier prize in the previous year. She is excellent, dark toned and Polish sounding, - not in diction, which I couldn’t comment on, but in mood. She is perhaps a little severe at times, such as in the opening of the second movement, where more tenderness would not have gone astray, but I think that her choices are legitimised by the basis of the work in antique Orthodox chant and folk music and a universal humanity which underscores all three songs. The sound is also by far the best of the series (i.e. of the four I’ve heard so far). The double basses provide the right canonic depth and rumble without being over-reverberant and balances and soundstaging seem very real, especially in Surround. The disc is cut at a good volume too, which permits warmth and overcomes the shrillness of the other releases. All in all, this is the equal of the Zinman and Wit, with some swings and roundabouts. I would have been happy to have paid a lot more than my 5 euros (at jpc), and that makes up for other disappointments in the RPO series. If you only get one of these re-releases, this would have to be my recommendation, despite all my minor caveats. Available here: http://www.amazon.co.uk/G%C3%B3recki-Symphony-Royal-Philharmonic-Orchestra/dp/B0007SMGCU/ref=sr_1_7?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1399248907&sr=1-7 Tracks: SYMPHONY NO. 3 FOR SOPRANO AND ORCHESTRA, OP. 36 SYMPHONY OF SORROWFUL SONGS 1. I. Lento. Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile 27:52 2. II. Lento e Largo 9:19 3. III. Lento. Cantabile semplice 15:54 THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE 4. I. (Movement one) 2:55 5. II. (Movement two) 1:53 6. III. (Movement three) 4:48 Total Time: 62:55 Digitally (PCM) recorded 1995 at AirR Lyndurst, London ----------------------------------------------------------------- Checksum for iso: f367d365d70a981413d776d9278c4703 *The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - Gorecki.iso Checksums for flac tracks Mch: 978c04026b4a302a10054ee5e4132da0 *01 - I. Lento. Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile (SYMPHONY NO. 3.flac 04f4307612b80df1452b6ac656446aa2 *02 - II. Lento e Largo (SYMPHONY NO. 3 FOR SOPRANO AND ORCHESTRA.flac 7d6e08ca1222ce67e572b2c994ab6341 *03 - III. Lento. Cantabile semplice (SYMPHONY NO. 3 FOR SOPRANO.flac 27073d93092420b19c04c99acc45852f *04 - I. Movement one (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac 64cc6de19adf5899d8eda79018111203 *05 - II. Movement two (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac 1b7932404fa4e67536f39e81eb63b957 *06 - III. Movement three (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac Checksums for flac tracks 2ch: bdadbd5f0bc256017376d9c2656182f9 *01 - I. Lento. Sostenuto tranquillo ma cantabile (SYMPHONY NO. 3.flac a100121629f580ac62356a7d6bc11904 *02 - II. Lento e Largo (SYMPHONY NO. 3 FOR SOPRANO AND ORCHESTRA.flac e8395844fe3b8ce3617cbef15baa5982 *03 - III. Lento. Cantabile semplice (SYMPHONY NO. 3 FOR SOPRANO.flac 048ec02df38b7e4f5ba1c25fcbdb96b5 *04 - I. Movement one (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac ee72532088355e6f4b845f91920d7924 *05 - II. Movement two (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac c8e89e5e67f4d75ec02baa5a8c3c9941 *06 - III. Movement three (THREE PIECES IN OLD STYLE).flac