Lamb on Górecki's Third Symphony

Lamb: photo - Myspace

In particular it was the Third Symphony (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) by Górecki (1933-2010), released in the mid-1990s that was most inspirational.

In an interview with Polish Radio Four, Lamb singer and lyrics writer Lou Rhodes, currently on tour with the band in Poland, recalled that she had first heard the piece on her car radio and it instantly made an electrifying impression on her.

The other member of the duo, composer and producer Andy Barlow added that Lamb’s specific sound was born out of the inspiration by the Third Symphony, notably its highly original expressive features, its dynamics and slow, seemingly never-ending flow of the music.

One of the duo’s most successful hit singles is entitled Gorecki (see video here)

Lou Rhodes admitted in the interview that when giving such title they were afraid somewhat of being accused of trivilization.

“Luckily, today Górecki is seen as a sincere tribute to the Polish composer, thanks to which many people heard about him for the first time,” he said.

Gorecki has entered the canon of electronic music and has been used in adverts for beer and video games, as well as soundtrack in such films as Moulin Rouge and I Still Know What You Did Last Summer.

Lamb perform in Wrocław tonight. They already gave concerts in Warsaw and Kraków and had earlier visited Katowice, where they were interviewed for a documentary film about Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. (mk/pg)