Górecki became famous all around the world in the mid-1990s when his Symphony No.3, also known as Symphony of Sorrowful Songs composed in 1976 suddenly turned into a bestseller. In 1992, Elektra Records released this symphony with a new performance by Dawn Upshaw, a famous singer. It was one of the biggest commercial successes in the history of classical music. However, it was just a tiny slice of the composer's output. He began his career by composing avant-garde pieces that completely destroyed listeners' habits, but his later works are full of harmony derived from sacral music and Polish folklore.
For the BBC’s Total Immersion, Górecki's music will be introduced to the audience by Adrian Thomas, a British musicologist specialising in Polish music. People gathered in the Barbican Centre will also have a chance to watch a film called Please Find devoted to the creator of Beatus Vir. Silesian Quartet will present the composer's two first string quartets and the BBC Singers, conducted by David Hill, will sing several of his choral pieces.
This grand celebration of music in London will finish off with a performance by BBC Orchestra with maestro Antoni Wit, previously the longstanding director of the Warsaw Philharmonic and now artistic director for Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra. Those in attendance will get the chance to hear: Muzyka staropolska (“Old Polish Music”) (1967-69); Kyrie (2005) being performed for the first time in the UK; Concerto for Harpsichord (1980) and Symphony No.2, otherwise known as Kopernikowska (1972).