• On What Would Have Been His 78th Birthday

On what would have been Henryk Mikołaj Górecki’s 78th birthday, his daughter Anna has sent me a photograph of his newly installed gravestone (nagrobek).  One of the words which I have long used to describe his music is ‘granitic’, so I am fascinated by the sculptural use of this material above what looks like a smooth, dark-slate grave cover.  It conveys the character of the man and his creative outlook brilliantly: rugged, imposing and unconventional, yet warm-hearted, touching and touchable.