Symphony no. 3 : Symphony of sorrowful songs, op. 36

"The Third Symphony by the cult Polish composer Henryk Górecki is one of the rare success stories in the world of contemporary orchestral music. Largely ignored or dismissed after its 1976 debut, it was revived by the Nonesuch label in 1992 and became a surprise hit, shifting more than a million copies ... So Portishead's Beth Gibbons makes an unusual addition to the Górecki hall of fame. Her wracked, whispery voice - pitched somewhere between Billie Holiday and Shirley Collins - seems about as far as one can get from the disciplined world of the opera singer, a world of precise diction, intense volume and Olympian levels of breath control ... But her artless, almost conversational approach brings indefinably human characteristics to the work ... Where previous versions have been eerily transcendent, Gibbons's quiet, demotic vulnerability makes this both more harrowing and emotionally engaging".

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"The present Telarc album features soprano super-star Christine Brewer with Donald Runnicles and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. For listeners who already have the aforementioned Upshaw recording, this CD doesn't offer much new or different in terms of performance quality or interpretation. Brewer's voice is velvety, lush, and powerful, with a slightly wider vibrato. Runnicles and the symphony go with a slightly slower pulse that is certainly effective given the Lento markings for each movement".

Læs anmeldelse

"The Third Symphony by the cult Polish composer Henryk Górecki is one of the rare success stories in the world of contemporary orchestral music. Largely ignored or dismissed after its 1976 debut, it was revived by the Nonesuch label in 1992 and became a surprise hit, shifting more than a million copies ... So Portishead's Beth Gibbons makes an unusual addition to the Górecki hall of fame. Her wracked, whispery voice - pitched somewhere between Billie Holiday and Shirley Collins - seems about as far as one can get from the disciplined world of the opera singer, a world of precise diction, intense volume and Olympian levels of breath control ... But her artless, almost conversational approach brings indefinably human characteristics to the work ... Where previous versions have been eerily transcendent, Gibbons's quiet, demotic vulnerability makes this both more harrowing and emotionally engaging".

Læs anmeldelse

"I triphop-trioens fravær kan man glæde sig over, at Portishead-sangeren, Beth Gibbons, nu giver lyd fra sig ... Sammen med The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra fra Warszawa har Beth Gibbons nyfortolket Henryk Góreckis 'Symphony No. 3'. Koncerten blev dirigeret af Krzysztof Penderecki, der har stået bag nogle af musikstykkerne i 'Ondskabens Hotel' og 'Eksorcisten' såvel som flere af David Lynchs film ... Ja, det er dejligt at have Beth Gibbons' klagende vokal tilbage, men dette kan altså ikke gøre det ud for et nyt album fra Portishead".

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"Måske havde det noget at gøre med mistroen over for den kommunistiske kulturs pseudofolkelighed, der af gode grunde stadig var stærk. Så da Góreckis 3. symfoni med dens folkelige rødder blev annammet af det brede publikum og endte med at sælge en million plader, blev vandene delt ... For Beth Gibbons fra Portishead er der tale om den første 'solo'-plade siden den 17 år gamle 'Out of Season'. Hun er gået til opgaven med al den alvor og koncentration, som den kræver. Gibbons har lært sig polsk, og uden vibrato synger hun sig rent og smalt, spidst og hjerteskærende ind i et værk, der både intimt og monumentalt mindes det enkelte menneskes lidelse i en tidsalder, der frembragte Auschwitz ... Hvor Dawn Upshaw sang smerten, så den strakte sig op imod himlen, synger Beth Gibbons den, så den forbliver såre menneskelig og bundet til den hårde jord".

Læs anmeldelse

"I triphop-trioens fravær kan man glæde sig over, at Portishead-sangeren, Beth Gibbons, nu giver lyd fra sig ... Sammen med The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra fra Warszawa har Beth Gibbons nyfortolket Henryk Góreckis 'Symphony No. 3'. Koncerten blev dirigeret af Krzysztof Penderecki, der har stået bag nogle af musikstykkerne i 'Ondskabens Hotel' og 'Eksorcisten' såvel som flere af David Lynchs film ... Ja, det er dejligt at have Beth Gibbons' klagende vokal tilbage, men dette kan altså ikke gøre det ud for et nyt album fra Portishead".

Læs anmeldelse

"Måske havde det noget at gøre med mistroen over for den kommunistiske kulturs pseudofolkelighed, der af gode grunde stadig var stærk. Så da Góreckis 3. symfoni med dens folkelige rødder blev annammet af det brede publikum og endte med at sælge en million plader, blev vandene delt ... For Beth Gibbons fra Portishead er der tale om den første 'solo'-plade siden den 17 år gamle 'Out of Season'. Hun er gået til opgaven med al den alvor og koncentration, som den kræver. Gibbons har lært sig polsk, og uden vibrato synger hun sig rent og smalt, spidst og hjerteskærende ind i et værk, der både intimt og monumentalt mindes det enkelte menneskes lidelse i en tidsalder, der frembragte Auschwitz ... Hvor Dawn Upshaw sang smerten, så den strakte sig op imod himlen, synger Beth Gibbons den, så den forbliver såre menneskelig og bundet til den hårde jord".

Læs anmeldelse

"Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony is that rare animal in comtemporary music ... This new disc with the excellent Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra features a very different kind of vocalist, Beth Gibbons ... Her fragile and expressive voice offers an affecting new interpretation. Her performance is not without flaws, however ... yet there is something deeply moving about her interpretations as a whole ... The result may not be to all tastes, but this is certainly an arresting reimagining of Górecki's now-iconic work".

"Henryk Górecki's Third Symphony is that rare animal in comtemporary music ... This new disc with the excellent Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra features a very different kind of vocalist, Beth Gibbons ... Her fragile and expressive voice offers an affecting new interpretation. Her performance is not without flaws, however ... yet there is something deeply moving about her interpretations as a whole ... The result may not be to all tastes, but this is certainly an arresting reimagining of Górecki's now-iconic work".