Description

Canadian pianist Jarred Dunn presents Górecki’s World of the Piano, his first recording for ATMA Classique. This album highlights the piano works of Polish composer Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. For the recording of the two-piano opuses, Jarred Dunn is joined by Anna Górecka, the composer’s daughter.

This recording offers the complete works for one and two pianos by Górecki, an intimate oeuvre rich in personal and historical significance. Included is a previously unreleased cycle, Pięć utworów na dwa fortepiany [Five Pieces for Two Pianos], Op. 13, which concludes the recording of Górecki’s complete works for piano.

The piano played a crucial role in Górecki’s life: it reminded him of his mother, Otylia, who died on his second birthday. The continued presence of her piano in the family home after her death allowed him to reconnect with her memory. It was on this instrument that he discovered Chopin and Szymanowski and began composing.

Górecki’s piano works, though fewer in number than his symphonic and choral works, reflect his early musical style. They were composed in the dark and difficult context of post-war Poland. Though less famous than his choral and symphonic works — monuments of the 20th century, Górecki’s piano output is of great personal and emotional significance. It spans the period from 1955 to 2008, marking the evolution of music from the 20th to the 21st century.