Latest News28/11/2008 A new recording by leading British chamber ensemble Chamber Domaine celebrates the 75th birthday of one of the world’s most popular living composers, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. Born in Polish Silesia, Górecki’s worldwide fame is largely due to the commercial success of his best known work, the 3rd Symphony, A Symphony of Sorrowful Songs. A recording in 1992 by Dawn Upshaw and the London Sinfonietta sold in excess of a million copies worldwide, making it one of the most successful classical music recordings of all time and catapulting its veteran composer into the media spotlight. There is also a wealth of beautiful music by Górecki that has rarely been heard, and Chamber Domaine’s approach on this recording, which contains no less than five world premičres, is to present an overview of his varied output, from intimate pieces composed during his studies in the 1950s to large-scale ensemble works published after his commercial breakthrough in the 1990s. Of the latter, the atmospheric and haunting Kleines Requiem für eine Polka op.66 is a highlight. Among the soloists featured on the recording are pianists Stephen de Pledge and Evelina Puzaite, baritone Ronan Collett and conductor/violinist Thomas Kemp, director of Chamber Domaine. Recording such a variety of works written for diverse combinations of instruments and voices was a challenge, says Kemp, but one that had an invigorating effect on everyone involved. “The sheer range of repertoire on this disc meant that we had to engage 17 soloists to perform in different ensembles, including strings, brass, percussion, two pianists, a baritone singer and even a mandolin player. This presented quite a challenge, not only of scheduling the sessions, but also for the production team, who had a huge dynamic and stylistic range to deal with. The sessions were a terrific artistic experience for everyone involved – some of the music is just stunning.” Chamber Domaine is at the cutting edge of music making in the 21st Century. Its excellence and dynamism have received widespread acclaim in the United Kingdom and abroad: The ensemble was described on BBC Radio 3 as “the most innovative ensemble in Britain today.” The ensemble focuses on instrumental chamber music and song with programmes that range from the Baroque through to Contemporary: chamber ensemble through to chamber orchestra. Its groundbreaking projects illuminate the music of today with music from three centuries. Chamber Domaine brings passion, commitment and high virtuosity to a diverse repertoire that makes music come alive whilst placing it into its cultural context. Since its highly praised South Bank and Wigmore Hall debuts in 1999, the ensemble has performed at leading festivals and concert series in the United Kingdom, Europe and North America and has given premieres of works by many leading composers. Gňrecki: Life Journey is released on Monday, 19th January 2009.   Share with:
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