There is SO much music out there to listen to that it is impossible to hear it all and for that reason a lot of people will “go with the flow” and plump for the most popular pieces without looking into some of the other masterpieces that are within our aural grasp.

Today I have taken some of those really popular pieces and tried to pair them up with a less well known piece that is similar in feel. They may encourage you to listen out for more pieces by composers that aren’t always on the “Pop Classics” radar.

The Gorecki piece is particularly beautiful and moving.

The words translate to:

No, Mother, do not weep,

Most chaste Queen of Heaven

Support me always.

“Zdrowas Mario.” (*)

It’s a prayer inscribed on wall 3 of cell no. 3 in the basement of “Palace,” the Gestapo’s headquarters in Zadopane. Beneath the prayer is the signature of Helena Wanda Blazusiakówna, and the words “18 years old, imprisoned since 26 September 1944.”

(*) “Zdrowas Mario” (Ave Maria)—the opening of the Polish prayer to the Holy Mother.

The rising voice and background orchestral drone merge together to create the feeling of sadness and sorrow. It makes me wonder how something that is born out of such sadness can be so utterly beautiful…but it is. It is truly exquisite and the rest of the symphony is just as moving.

Happy hunting.

Keith.

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If you like:

Rachmaninov – Piano Concerto No. 2 (2nd Movement).

You may like:

Hummel – Piano Concerto in C major, Op. 34 (2nd Movement).

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If you like:

Vaughan-Williams – The Lark Ascending.

You may like:

Bruch – Romance Op. 42.

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If you like:

Elgar – Enigma Variations (Nimrod).

You may like:

Barber – Adagio for Strings.

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If you like:

Mendelssohn – ‘The Hebrides’ Overture.

You may like:

Weber – “Oberon” Overture.

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If you like:

Symphony No. 2 in C minor, “Resurrection” (4th Movement “Urlicht).

You may like:

Gorecki – Symphony 3, Op. 36 “Symphony of Sorrowful Songs” (2nd Movement).