That crescendo in Roads, when the strings swell and the bass descends, gives me goose bumps, no matter how often I listen. Meanwhile, I absolutely love these contrasting versions of Symphony of Sorrowful Songs you have mentioned here. And yes I was one of those who originally found it via Lamb.
Happy Blueversary, Michael!!! 🎉✨💙✨🎉 I still remember listening to this as I was lying in my Airbnb bed in Des Moines! I remember thinking how the song sounded hopeful, how it shimmered! But now I get the Beth Gibbons version too?! Oh how I LOVE this rendition, thank you for adding it! I had no idea (nor had I ever made the Lamb/Moulin Rouge connection). I honestly feel like Beth poured her whole being into this. So haunting, but again: hopeful, determined. Needless to say, you’ve introduced me to SO MUCH in this past year. I know how much of yourself you pour into this project (I wouldn’t even be surprised if you dream in Blue!) I’m just so grateful for that work and that we crossed paths 💙 Congratulations and Cheers to another year!🥂
Thanks, Katie! I couldn't wait to rerun this essay so I could add in the trip-hop connections, so I'm really glad you're vibing with the Lamb sampling and Beth's version. Haunting, hopeful, and determined are the perfect descriptions for her performance. I love her facial expressions and how they also convey that specific mix of sorrow, hope, and resilience Górecki embedded in the score.
I couldn't be more grateful to have you on board the SOB train this past year. I've loved discussing all this music with you here, and your support and engagement with my work really kept me going during so many moments of self-doubt. Every writer deserves a Katie in their corner. Here's to the next year of musical experiences! 💙🎉
Thanks so much, Kate! If only Freddie had still been around in the mid-'90s — I would have LOVED to see how Górecki's symphony inspired him.
I love how you've articulated the sound of this movement, the voice emerging so soulfully from the bed of orchestral strings — as if they're embracing each other in the same way the music embraces us as the sound moves through our bodies. One of these days, I have to experience this work live. I can't fathom it being anything less than transcendental. 💙
Though I was moody and very much into Portishead in the 90s I somehow missed Gorecki and only discovered the Symphony when I was working on the essay about the Unicorn Tapestries. It took a few years to write because I struggled to find the point of the story at large. After interviewing “Hank” and listening to him describe how Howie had used that music to create a transcendent experience in the Cloisters, I started listening to it every time I sat down to write. I realized the point of the story was awe and wonder, that Howie understood how art and music gets you there, and every story I chose to include in the essay must be coded with wonder. Listening to the Symphony helped me get there, and it’s still an instant portal the moment I hear the opening notes of the second piece.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful insight into your essay and your introduction to these sorrowful songs, Danielle. What an indelible scene that was, Hank and Howie lying on their backs in the Fuentidueña Chapel, reveling in their private moments with sacred beauty in a sacred space.
The ways we can weave together awe and wonder and love in our lives is definitely what lingers from my experiences of both your essay and Górecki’s symphony. 💙
That crescendo in Roads, when the strings swell and the bass descends, gives me goose bumps, no matter how often I listen. Meanwhile, I absolutely love these contrasting versions of Symphony of Sorrowful Songs you have mentioned here. And yes I was one of those who originally found it via Lamb.
Same, Duncan — I LOVE that exact moment. And funnily enough, the Górecki is how I found Lamb!
Happy First Birthday, Shades of Blue! 🥳💙
Thanks, Jules! So thankful Substack brought us into each other’s orbits this year. 😃💙
Me too! Wonderful music and some laughs along the way. I hope Shades goes from strength to strength. It's a beautiful Substack. Congratulations. 🤩🎶
So tender and moving. Thank you.
Thank YOU for being here, Anne!
Another beautiful essay on the power and healing nature of music. Also love Lamb!
Thanks, David! So glad you enjoyed.
Happy Blueversary, Michael!!! 🎉✨💙✨🎉 I still remember listening to this as I was lying in my Airbnb bed in Des Moines! I remember thinking how the song sounded hopeful, how it shimmered! But now I get the Beth Gibbons version too?! Oh how I LOVE this rendition, thank you for adding it! I had no idea (nor had I ever made the Lamb/Moulin Rouge connection). I honestly feel like Beth poured her whole being into this. So haunting, but again: hopeful, determined. Needless to say, you’ve introduced me to SO MUCH in this past year. I know how much of yourself you pour into this project (I wouldn’t even be surprised if you dream in Blue!) I’m just so grateful for that work and that we crossed paths 💙 Congratulations and Cheers to another year!🥂
Thanks, Katie! I couldn't wait to rerun this essay so I could add in the trip-hop connections, so I'm really glad you're vibing with the Lamb sampling and Beth's version. Haunting, hopeful, and determined are the perfect descriptions for her performance. I love her facial expressions and how they also convey that specific mix of sorrow, hope, and resilience Górecki embedded in the score.
I couldn't be more grateful to have you on board the SOB train this past year. I've loved discussing all this music with you here, and your support and engagement with my work really kept me going during so many moments of self-doubt. Every writer deserves a Katie in their corner. Here's to the next year of musical experiences! 💙🎉
Oh you and your magnificent writing make it far too easy to be in your corner!! 🥰
Happy Shades of Blue Birthday, Michael! 💙
The symphony made it to the pop charts?! How does this even happen? Incredible. It made me somehow imagine a really amazing Queen cover version.
The sound here is just beautiful, as if the vocals and orchestra completely merge, or as if she emerges from their arms.
Thanks so much, Kate! If only Freddie had still been around in the mid-'90s — I would have LOVED to see how Górecki's symphony inspired him.
I love how you've articulated the sound of this movement, the voice emerging so soulfully from the bed of orchestral strings — as if they're embracing each other in the same way the music embraces us as the sound moves through our bodies. One of these days, I have to experience this work live. I can't fathom it being anything less than transcendental. 💙
Though I was moody and very much into Portishead in the 90s I somehow missed Gorecki and only discovered the Symphony when I was working on the essay about the Unicorn Tapestries. It took a few years to write because I struggled to find the point of the story at large. After interviewing “Hank” and listening to him describe how Howie had used that music to create a transcendent experience in the Cloisters, I started listening to it every time I sat down to write. I realized the point of the story was awe and wonder, that Howie understood how art and music gets you there, and every story I chose to include in the essay must be coded with wonder. Listening to the Symphony helped me get there, and it’s still an instant portal the moment I hear the opening notes of the second piece.
Thank you for sharing this beautiful insight into your essay and your introduction to these sorrowful songs, Danielle. What an indelible scene that was, Hank and Howie lying on their backs in the Fuentidueña Chapel, reveling in their private moments with sacred beauty in a sacred space.
The ways we can weave together awe and wonder and love in our lives is definitely what lingers from my experiences of both your essay and Górecki’s symphony. 💙
❤️❤️
Happy first birthday. I so much enjoyed listening. such beautiful music. It really brought out so much emotion in me and some tears
Thanks for sharing your experience with this music, Marie. Such a powerful portal for reaching emotional catharsis. 💙