Songs are sung (some sorrowfully with symphonies, others with string quartets)
I made a random visit to the Nonesuch upcoming releases page and discovered Kronos Quartet is releasing a recording of a new string quartet by Henryk Górecki.
Norman Lebrecht profiles Górecki for La Scena Musicale, mentioning the popularity of his Symphony No. 3 back in the early ’90s. The composer wrote the symphony in 1976, and by the time it scaled the UK charts, his style had changed.
The two string quartets he wrote for Kronos require headphones to get a full appreciation. Both works explore the extremes of introspection and expression, and when they get quiet, they get really quiet. But they are so beautiful even when they’re inaudible.
I imagine this new work also requires headphones. It’s rather remarkable that Górecki completed the work in 1995 but held onto it for a decade. His reason? He doesn’t know.