30 January 2019

Beth Gibbons and Krzysztof Penderecki perform Gorecki

On November 29 2014, Beth Gibbons performed the solo part in Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki’s Symphony No. 3, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs alongside the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. Now an audio and film recording of the performance is available.

Conducted by Polish composer and conductor Krzysztof Penderecki, Gibbons’ performance formed part of an evening of programming that also featured Jonny Greenwood’s 48 Responses to Polymorphia and the world premiere of Bryce Dessner’s Réponse Lutosklawski.

Following her invitation to perform, Beth undertook intensive preparation to learn the original text without speaking the mother tongue. Her performance alongside maestro Penderecki has been hailed as triumphant.