Search - Gorecki, Gritton, Simonov :: Symphony 3 / Three Pieces in Old Style

Interpretations

Genevieve Thiers | Boston, MA, USA | 01/12/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Symphony of Sorrowful Songs is one of the most heart-rendingly beautiful pieces I have ever heard. Goreki is a master. Interpretations of his work seem to appear on three main CD's. This interpretation I would rate as the most interesting, but also the most, in my opinion, misguided. The Symphony begins with a canon, a simple harmony repeating over and over moving upward six octaves. Two recordings of this piece catch the exquisite sorrow in the work by playing this canon line legato, allowing the natural swells and and tendencies of the music to carry it upward and back down. Siminov's interpretation plays the canon line with a bouncing emphasis on seperate notes within. This emphasis, while allowing the contrasts of the canon line to show, runs the risk of denying the music its beautiful expressive power. The tempo in this piece is also noticeably dependent upon the vagaries of the composer, whereas the other two known recordings concentrate on the almost inevitable regular motion the piece contains within itself. Considering Gorecki's tendencies in inevitability of modal expression, it seems as though Siminov tries to excercise a control uncalled for. The middle of section one, at a tempo slightly slower than expected, contains a brilliant expressive power. The music seems to gather strength underneath itself. Siminov is to be commended for his control in this area. The next two pieces of the Symphony contain the offspring of these starting ideas. I have listened very carefully to each recording and intentionally avoided bias as to the order in which they were heard. It is also impossible for any composer or orchestra to hide the vibrant shimmer on Gorechi's work. In my opinion the most mangled version of this stunning piece would be wonderful."

Misguided reviewers

Nicholas Hodgson | Paisley Parking Lot... | 04/02/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Can we really trust the author of the below review who in the space of one paragraph manages to spell the composer's name
incorrectly, two times out of three? As far as the music is concerned, I have heard both of these pieces and would certainly recommend them to any interested parties. The "Three Pieces..." should certainly not be overlooked..."