The Piano Pod - a global hub for innovation, education, and connection in classical piano music
6 May 2025 · 2 min
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In this trailer for the podcast episode "Inside the World of Górecki," concert pianist Anna Górecka shares her personal memories of Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s piano music, recalling how she first heard his Third Symphony and his piano recordings. She explains that Górecki regarded the piano as his closest instrument, composing and performing on it, and that his piano pieces share the same expressive, sometimes extreme, formal shaping as his orchestral works. The trailer highlights the collaboration between Anna and pianist‑scholar Jarred Dunn on their newly released album "Górecki's World of Piano," which aims to present the composer’s lesser‑known, technically demanding piano repertoire with the immediacy of a live concert rather than a studio‑crafted recording. Host Speaker B promotes the episode, emphasizing the journey from mentorship to collaboration, and invites listeners to stream the album on Spotify and other platforms.
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The first time I heard the 3rd Symphony, I was overwhelmed. And the first time I heard the Piano Concerto, which was Anna's recording, and the Sonata, which I believe was also Anna's recording— I mean, I knew about this music from a young age. I feel really lucky to have known about it from pianists who have really studied it carefully and know very much what's at the heart of each score, because the piano music is on the periphery of Gorinsky's music. We have the big symphonies, choral works, and chamber music, but the piano music is still really beautiful and really worth giving attention to.
For tonight's episode, Inside the World of Górecki, we explore the beautiful journey from mentorship to collaboration between pianist-scholar Jarred Dunn and concert pianist Anna Górecka. Their newly released album, Górecki's World of Piano, shines a light on Henryk Mikołaj Górecki's evocative, avant-garde, and technically demanding piano works, Music far less known than his famous Symphony No. 3, yet equally powerful. You will also hear personal stories of the composer from Anna, his daughter, offering rare insight into the man behind the music.
Throughout his life, I think he considered the piano to be the closest instrument, and he always composed by the piano. He played the piano himself quite well. So I remember him playing Chopin mazurkas, Szymanowski mazurkas, a lot of Mozart, a lot of Bach, really, yeah. In his piano pieces, we can find the same way of shaping the form as in orchestral works. So I think there is the same tendency to use very distinct, sometimes even maybe extreme means To express himself. Very similar way of building the very expressive whole.
Don't miss this intimate and inspiring conversation, and don't miss their newly released album, Górecki's World of Piano, streaming now on Spotify and all major platforms.
When I planned this album, I wanted people to have that same experience of hearing it, uh, if it's for the first time. And I hope the listeners feel when they hear our album, it feels like you're hearing a live concert. It does not feel like a doctored recording. And the goal in playing it is to make sure the impression of giving a concert is maintained.
Inside the World of Górecki premieres tonight on our YouTube channel. The audio episode will also be available on your favorite podcasting platforms. See you tonight.
