Arioso: Adagio Cantabile from Henryk Górecki’s String Quartet No. 2, Op. 64 “Quasi Una Fantasia” (performed by the Kronos Quartet)
Górecki died just a few days ago. I have never listened to any of his larger symphonic works — in fact, his first two quartets (both stunningly performed by the Kronos Quartet) are the sum of his works in my music library. But they are incredible in that way only modern music can be — where technical simplicity masks incredible emotional depth, where “traditional” isn’t some appropriation ala Brahms or Dvorak to give classical music a native twang or to demonstrate how even the simple music of the peasant contains within the world historical spirit or some shit, but instead an attempt (that qualification is important — good pieces are like essays — they attempt) to show how even the world historical spirit is some manifestation of our individual experience — an attempt to return to expression after the immense failure of modern aesthetic formalisms. Górecki brings me to these meditative states. RIP.
I hardly got anything more to add, Górecki was one of my favorite composers. His 3rd symphony is simply breathtaking; it’s hard to find music more emotional or more genuine than his.
