Symphony No. 2 (Górecki)

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The Symphony No. 2, 'Copernican', Op. 31 (II Symfonia 'Kopernikowska') [Listen (help·info)] was written in 1972 by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of the astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Written in a monumental style for solo soprano, baritone, choir and orchestra, it features text from Psalms no. 145, 6 and 135 as well as an excerpt from Copernicus' book De revolutionibus orbium coelestium.

Comprised of two movements, a typical performance lasts 35 minutes. The symphony was commission by the Kosciuszko Foundation in New York, and presented an early opportunity for Górecki to reach an audience outside of his native Poland. As was usual, he undertook extensive research on the subject, and was in particular concerned on the philosophical implications of Copernicus's discovery, not all of which he viewed as positive.^[1] As Norman Davies commented: "His discovery, of the earth's motion round the sun, caused the most fundamental revolutions possible in the prevailing concepts of the human predicament".^[2]

[edit] Discography

The Second Symphony has been performed and recorded less than some of his other work (certainly less than his Symphony No. 3), in part because it demands a particularly large orchestra, as well as soprano and baritone soloists, and a large choir.^[3]

However, more than one different interpretation of the Symphony No. 2 is available on compact disk. The most readily available is the Naxos Records CD of the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra of Katowice, the Polish Radio Choir and the Silesian Philharmonic Choir with soloists Zofia Kilanowicz and Andrzej Dobber, conducted by Antoni Wit, which includes Beatus Vir.

The Stradivarius CD of Tamás Pál conducting the Fricsay Symphony Orchestra and Bartok Chorus, with soloist vocalists Emese Soós and Tamás Altorjay, also pairs Symphony No. 2 with Beatus Vir. BBC Music Magazine would've recommend the disc if "the unfamiliar Hungarian forces, performing for a little-known Italian label, not been so ill-at-ease, and had the recording been of professional standard."^[4]