The Language of Music is one that all arts aspire to...
It was Schopenhauer who first said that all arts aspire to the
condition of music. What he was referring to was the abstract
qualities of music. The path between music and audience is a
direct one, without the intervention of a medium of
communication that is used for other 'everyday' purposes, which
is unlike many other art forms! The architect expresses himself
in buildings, which have some utilitarian purpose. The poet uses
words, which we use on a daily basis in conversation. The
painter usually expresses himself by representing what he sees
i.e. the visible world. Only the composer of music is perfectly
free to create a work of art out of his own consciousness, which
performs no function, other than to please.
A testimony to the mystical nature of music is the unknown
Polish classical composer who's "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs"
sold more than pop icon, Madonna, in the year it was released
and more than any other classical composer in the entire history
of the world! However, this remarkable achievement only occurred
17-years after he composed it.
Polish Composer in Translation
The composer's name is Henryk Gorecki and his success is nothing
short of a miracle. When he wrote the symphony (his 3rd) in
1976, he and his wife were declared 'non-persons' under the
communist regime and their passports were confiscated. His name
was unknown, and according to records in Poland, he did not even
exist. Gorecki had been born in Czernica, in the coal-mining
belt of Silesia on The Czechoslovakian border. It is 20-minutes
from the town Oswiecim, which the Germans would later name
Auschwitz. This piece of music was so inspired, as to be a
warning to future generations and to bear witness to what had
occurred there. Corecki commented: "The fact that 17 years
later, it seems young people all over the world have heard what
I said, and understood: that my warning will not go forgotten
into the world".
Beauty and hope are firmly embedded in this piece of music that
is played by taxi drivers and royalty alike. 300 000 copies were
sold worldwide when it was released, unheard of for a classical
piece which would hopefully sell 10 to 20.000 copies in a
lifetime, and that's about it.
A Symphony of International Value
The road to fame of the "Symphony of Sorrowful Songs" is an
interesting one. 1976, the year it was composed saw the first
performance in a Paris concert hall. After the performance a
music critic whispered 'Merde!' into Goreck's ear. The first
recorded version appeared in Britain in 1987, and was basically
ignored by the classical music magazines. In 1989, the piece
reappeared; this time in concert at the Queen Elizabeth Hall,
after the London Sinfonietta decided to champion Gorecki's work.
Bob Hurwitz, head of Warner's Elektra Nonesuch label decided to
attain the symphony for his label. In 1990, Hurwitz recorded it
with the London Sinfonietta using young American conductor David
Zinmaan and the soprano Dawn Upshaw. In September 1992, classic
FM, Britain's first commercial classical music station was
launched and picked Gorecki's symphony as the station's first
classic 'sure thing'. In October that year a sudden demand
caused chart sponsors W H Smith to stock the symphony. In
November BBC Radios 3 and 4 followed, then Radio 2, and finally,
DJ Simon Bates on Radio 1.
A Multicultural Moment
January 1993 was a watershed moment for "Symphony of Sorrows' as
the album jumped from 71 to 27 in the Music Week pop charts. In
February that year Gorecki received a gold disc for sales of
100,000.
Fascinating to think that a symphony, 54-minutes long, scored
for a large string orchestra, would climb so high up the charts
and sell more than a contemporary musical legend. It is a true
testament to the universal language of music, the genius that
lies in certain compositions and the infinite power of music to
move people.