There is something about the contrabass clarinet that is achingly sad to hear. American-Canadian composer Colin Stetson has an already impressive body of work, but his interpretation of Henryk Górecki’s most iconic composition is something else to behold. As he states on his Bandcamp site:
“The concept was simple, and true to the original score. I haven’t changed existing notation, but rather have worked with altering instrumentation, utilizing a group consisting heavily of woodwinds, synthesizers, and electric guitars… The arrangement draws heavily from the world of black metal, early electronic music, and from my own body of solo saxophone music. The result is an intact rendition of Henryk Górecki’s 3rd Symphony, though one which has been filtered through the lens of my particular musical aesthetic and experience.”
