Gorecki: Symphony 3

Album review

Released in 1995, this Arte Nova recording of Henryk Górecki's Symphony No. 3, "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs," was but one of several labels' attempts to piggyback on the enormously successful recording by Dawn Upshaw, David Zinman, and the London Sinfonietta, an international hit through radio play and the definitive performance in many listeners' minds. Arte Nova's comparatively limited distribution kept this recording by soprano Doreen de Feis and the Orquestra Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, conducted by Adrian Leaper, far out of the limelight, but it is still a respectable competitor, comparable to the more celebrated Nonesuch recording, and nothing to despise for lack of media attention or availability. Górecki's somber canons, sonorous scoring for strings, and plaintive text settings have power to move through their extreme simplicity; though one can imagine a botched job, the Symphony No. 3 practically plays itself, as long as the performers are sensitive and skilled enough to follow Górecki's directions to the letter. This Leaper and his orchestra do, and de Feis is as careful and affecting as Upshaw, though perhaps not as well recorded. This disc's shallow and indistinct sound is its one hindrance, and headphones may be required to hear every detail. Other than that, this is a decent alternative.

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