Henryk Górecki - Op.31 Symphony No. 2, ‘Copernican’ (1972) (w/brief analysis and lyrics)

Henryk Mikołaj Górecki (1933-2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary music. He is most famous for his third symphony, but his oeuvres stretch from piano miniatures to gigantic choral works. His earlier compositions are in serialist style, while his later ones are in a minimalist style.
The second symphony was commissioned by the Kosciuszko Foundation for the 500th anniversary of Copernicus' birth and was dedicated to them. It premiered in Warsaw on 22 June 1973, with Andrzej Markowski conducting National Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus, with Stefania Woytowicz as the soprano, and Andrzej Hiolski as the baritone. It is very seldomly performed, due to the massive orchestral force required. However, it is an important work that points to the later minimalistic style, while still holding onto the dissonances of the early years. It is scored for 4 Flutes (3rd and 4th doubling Piccolo), 4 Oboes, 4 B♭ Clarinets (4th doubling Bass Clarinet), 4 Bassoons (3rd and 4th doubling Contrabassoon), 4 F Horns, 4 C Trumpets, 4 Trombones, Tuba, 3 Snare Drums, 3 Timpani, 3 Bass Drums, 2 Tam-Tam, Piano, Choir S-A-T-B, Baritone solo, Soprano solo, 1-3 Violins, Violas, Cellos, Basses, Harp.
The text is as follows:
Deus (God)
qui fecit caelum et terram. (Who created the heavens and the earth,)
(Psalm 146:6)
qui fecit luminaria magna (who created the great givers of lights:)
Solem
in potestatem diei. (The sun to rule by day)
Lunam et stellas
in potestatem noctis. (The moon and stars to rule by night)
(Pslam 136:7-9)
Quid autem caelo pulcrius, (Yet what is fairer than the heavens,)
nempe quod continet pulcra omnia? (that place which holds all things fair?)
(Nicolaus Copernicus “De Revolutionibus Orbium Caelestium” Liber Primus)
I have two analogies, one religious and the other not. Due to the character limit, I’ll include the non-religious one in the comment.
(0:00) The first movement starts with harsh dissonances and tone clusters, full of chaos. It can be divided into 6 sections based on the themes. My interpretation of this movement is the depiction of the six days of Genesis. In this analogy, the first section of this movement depicts the separation of light from darkness, in a chaotic and violent way.
(3:07) The second section is in sharp contrast with the previous section (and the rest of the movement also), since it is very serene and peaceful. Its chorale mood is reminiscent of the second movement, and since the second movement is a praise of heaven, this section could be seen as the depiction of newly-created heaven.
(6:15) The third section returns to the dissonance and chaos of the first section, as in our analogy, it is the creation of the land by the division of the water below heaven.
(9:23) The fourth section is a very odd one. According to our genesis analogy, this section would be the depiction of the creation of the moon and stars, yet it is very far from the depiction of heaven. One possible explanation would be the fanfare for the newly created light (underdeveloped and full of irregularity as it is still developing), but still, this is the weakest link in our analogy.
(13:00) The fifth section is faster and features more movements than the previous sections. In the fifth day of the Genesis, animals are created, and this section could be seen as depicting the movements of the newly-created animals.
(15:10) The final section involves the chorus that praises the god, which I interpreted as the creation of mankind who praises the god. The movement ends rather abruptly, and transitions into the second movement.
(16:36) Whenever I listen to the second movement, I can’t help thinking about the seventh day of Genesis, the Sabbath. Whenever I listen to it, I conjure an image of the god, in the form of a boy (or a girl - that part changes every time), lying on a small island in heaven, and gazing peacefully at the sky. Anyway, the first part of this movement features the praise of god, as well as his creations.
(21:20) The second section starts with the soprano solo. Now the focus turns from heaven and earth to the givers of light. It is still in a serene and static mood, yet…
(23:36) The third section, starts abruptly, with its praise of the celestial bodies. All voices play in full force, in a passionate tone.
(24:37) However, this cools down quickly, and we are back with the praise of the light. Previous verses are re-stated before we enter…
(28:27) The next section, features Copernicus’ writing. This section is my favorite part of this entire symphony (with the ending coming in a tight second). The chorus creates a divine, floating mood, fitting with the heaven amongst the stars.
(29:50) After the chorus’ final praise of heaven, the ending starts, which features a massive buildup from the entire orchestra (From around 31:17, climaxing at 32:20), and creating a “space-like” sound - all-encompassing, static, and floating. Then, the music slowly cools down, till the quiet ending.

[@Signore_S]

Also, I have found a small engraving error just now: at 28:27, the lyrics is "Quid autem...", but I put "Duid autem..." in the score by accident.

[@lokeshpandya5252]

thanks for uploading this, have been looking for the score for months

[@Signore_S]

Now for the non-religious analogy. This analogy is scientific, and probably not what Górecki intended (as most of this scientific knowledge wasn’t available in 1972), but it is nevertheless interesting in my opinion.
The first movement can be seen as the creation of the world in a scientific sense. The first section is the depiction of the big bang, with its initial “bang”, as well as the materials forming very rapidly. The second section depicts the relative calm after the expansion is mostly complete, and the universe is cooled to the point that we know now. The third section depicts the collapse of the gas cloud, while the fourth depicts the formation of the star, a very violent process. The fifth section, with all its clashes, depicts the formation of the earth (which was very violent in the Hadean eon). Then, the final section is the burst of life, that enabled us to be here.
The second movement is the depiction of a dream, where we float alongside the stars. While we ascend and float in the space, we see familiar bodies in their true form (thus the appearance of earth, heaven, sun, and moon in the lyrics), and marvel at their beauty. A white, bright light blinds us temporally, and suddenly, we are floating in the void, far from the solar system. Then, the lights from the stars embrace us (friendly reminder that we are in a dream, not in actual space), little by little, until it engulfs us entirely.
P.S. It was especially hard to make a video of this one, mainly because I had to engrave the entire score - the score at my hand (PWM manuscript copy) was way too big to fit into the screen, and it was hard to read in some places, so I had to engrave the entire thing (which took more than 20 hours) :(
Also disclaimer: This recording was performed by Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, Zofia Kilanowicz, Andrzej Dobbler
This video is for a non-commercial purpose (I do not get any profit from this video), and I do not own the score or the music. If there is an advertisement, it is not by me; it is by CZcams. If you are the owner of the score or the music, and you want this video removed, please contact me, and I will promptly remove it.

[@Signore_S]

그럼 종교적이지 않은 해석입니다. 과학적인 의미로 해석해 본 것이고, 1972년에는 알려지지 않은 지식들을 사용하고 있기 때문에, 구레츠키가 이런 의도로 곡을 만든 것은 아닐 것입니다. 하지만, 흥미롭다고 생각해서 여기에 적어봅니다.
우선, 첫번째 악장은 과학적인 의미에서의 천지창조로 해석할 수 있습니다. 첫번째 섹션은 빅뱅, 그리고 그 후의 초고온의 우주를 나타냅니다. 두번째 섹션은 팽창이 거의 끝나고 식은, 고요한 우주를 묘사합니다. 그리고 세번째 섹션은 성운의 압축, 그리고 네번째는 별의 탄생을 나타내고 있습니다. 그리고 다섯번째 섹션은 명왕대를 연상시키는, 초기 지구의 모습, 그리고 마지막 섹션은 생명의 탄생과 현재의 우리를 나타낸다고 해석하였습니다.
두번째 악장은 꿈과도 같은 악장입니다. 지구에서 우주로 상승하며 해, 달, 별들의 진정한 모습을 보고 그 아름다움에 감탄하고 있으면, 갑자기 하얀 빛이 우리를 감싸고 (세번째 섹션), 눈을 떠보면 어딘지 모르는 공허속에 떠다니고 있습니다. 그러자, 곧 별빛들이 우리를 감싸고, 점차 별빛과 하나가 되어가는 이미지 - 라고 생각합니다.
P.S. 제가 구할 수 있는 악보가 필사본밖에 없고, 그건 유튜브에 올리기에는 너무 거대해서 악보를 컴퓨터로 만들어야 했는데, 이거에만 거의 20시간 가까이 걸렸습니다...
이 녹음은 Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, Zofia Kilanowicz, Andrzej Dobbler에 의해 이루어졌습니다.
이 비디오는 상업적인 목적으로 제작되지 않았으며, 본인은 이 비디오에서 어떤 수익도 얻지 못합니다. 만약 광고가 들어있으면 제가 넣은 것이 아닌 유튜브에서 삽입한 것입니다. 만약 당신이 이 녹음이나 악보의 정당한 소유자이고, 이 비디오를 내리기를 원하신다면 연락해주십시오.

[@Signore_S]

それでは宗教的ではない分析です。科学的な意味で分析したもので、１９７２年には知られていなかった科学的知識を使っていますので、多分グレツキの意図とは違います。しかし、面白いと思って、ここに書いてみました。
まず、最初の楽章は科学的な意味の創造を描きます。第１セクションはビッグバン、そしてそのすぐあとの超高温の宇宙です。そして、第２は膨張が終わって、冷えた静かな宇宙、第３は星雲の圧縮、第４は星野誕生、第５は地球の誕生、そして最後は生命の誕生を描いていると分析しました。
２楽章は夢のようなものです。宇宙に出て太陽、月、星の真の姿を見ながら、美しさに惚れていたら、白い光に包まれ、目を明いたら、どこか知らない虚空で浮いていて、すぐ星の光に包まれ、光と一つになるようなイメージだと思います。
P.S. 持っていた楽譜が筆者版しかなくて、それはユーチューブにはアプロードできなくて、自ら楽譜を作りましたが、これに２０時間以上かかりました。。。
この録音はPolish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Antoni Wit, Zofia Kilanowicz, Andrzej Dobblerで演奏されました。
このビデオは商業的目的を持たなく、私はこのビデオから収益を得ることができません。もし広告が入れられていたら、私が入れたのではなく、ユーチューブが入れたのです、もしあなたがこの録音、それとも楽譜の政党な所有者で、このビデオを削除したい場合は、私に連絡したら、すぐ消します。

[@porkyminch5131]

Tldr

[@B-eSCH]

what edition is that?

[@Signore_S]

I engraved that based on the PWM facsimile of the manuscript.

[@fabiocuccu3689]

@@Signore_S could you please share either the manuscript or your engraving?

[@Signore_S]

@@fabiocuccu3689 I can share my engraving. Please send me an email through the email in the "About" section of my channel, and I will send it to you.

[@choi_ga_hyun_composer]

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