Henryk Górecki - Miserere (1994)

Absolutely stunning collection of Górecki's choral music, which on its release was the composer's first album of his unaccompanied vocal works.  The first half of this collection is taken up by the title piece, written in 1981 as a response to political unrest sparked by the violent disruption of a protest.  Like Górecki's legendary third symphony, Miserere builds with slow deliberation over half an hour, the individual voices introduced in waves of trance-inducing melancholy.

After such a lengthy piece, Amen (1975) is well placed as a moment of simple, spare reflection - its only text is the title.  Then Górecki's earliest piece for voices, Euntes Ibant Et Flebant (1972) wraps up the album's religious selections with more austere beauty.  The remainder of the disc focuses on Polish folk melodies and texts, with a common theme of rivers in My Vistula, Grey Vistula (1981) and the five-part Broad Waters suite (1979).  The latter is definitely my favourite thing here, its gorgeous plaintive melodies capping off an essential collection of 20th century choral music.

link
pw: sgtg

Previously posted at SGTG:
Early works
Symphony No. 3
Beatus Vir
O Domina Nostra
Kleines Requiem / Lerchenmusik