regulations of competition in memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki
22nd Biennial of Polish Poster in Katowice — exhibition Poster art in Poland, known for its formal refinement, flourished owing to the system that existed in this country for over a dozen years, allowing this...
catalogue — 22nd Biennial of Polish Poster in Katowice The catalogue of the 22nd Biennial of Polish Poster features reproductions of the posters which received awards, and shortlisted works which were selected...
in memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki — posters exhibition Results: Ist Award — Wojciech Korkuć Ist Award — Jacek Staniszewski 3rd Award — Tomasz Bogusławski 3rd Award — Bogusław Lustyk 3rd Award — Magdalena Miska ...
Music by Henryk Mikołaj Górecki is a rare phenomenon in the second half of the twentieth century. Expressive, highly original in its substance, suffused with extraordinary emotionality, it seems to be pursuing a relentless quest for sacrum, filled with longing for pure spirituality, engrossed in its beauty and permanence, while penetrating the genesis and fringes of the sound. This music does not have any counterpart in the history of the last century. In his work, Górecki found a secret way of matching the opposites, which he followed consistently throughout all his artistic career, and which has been succinctly named: minimalism of means — maximum of expression.
In the first stage of his artistic activity Górecki was considered a representative of the most radical avant-garde, but he shed this label very quickly, in order to look for the pure artistic Truth. This imperative was so strong that he soon reached new, unknown until then, but strongly sought after and longed for musical reality, experiencing its powerfulness. He found it not in new harmonies but in the ones which had been known for centuries — in major and minor chords, in simple structures of harmony and melody — the Composer, enchanted, pondered their forcefulness. He realised he could provide them with meaning that they had never had before. This deep experience opened his imagination for music which was supposed to contemplate Beauty, to seek pure simplicity, and to be profoundly moving.
For almost thirty years — from II Symphony until his last pieces, the Composer did not look for other means of expression. While experiencing more deeply the essence of his musical substance, he realised his grand plan of satisfying a man's desire for something more, as Henri Bergson once put it. Discovery of this longing and the mysterious, not known until then internal need — regardless of circumstances and reasons — made millions of people on both hemispheres, from Japan to Brasil, from Australia to Canada, feel an overwhelming need to be with the music of his III Symphony, to contemplate it and to be moved by it. Its message found its way to minds and hearts, as its shocking autenticity and moving depth let it become a source of unusual experiences for people from various cultures and various social classes.
In his last years the Composer seemed to be slowly calming down. At that time he created some sublime pieces, characterised by a flow of the highest concentration, sadness and nostalgia. After the last piece, his II Quartet, whose motto was: When people die, songs are sung — Henryk Mikołaj Górecki retreated into silence.
When I listen to this kind of music — says Bohdan Pociej — I can say I experience it deeply not only as a ‘phenomenon’ or an ‘audio performance’, but simply as a musical thing in itself.
Entry guidelines for a poster competition dedicated to the memory of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki.
