A meaningful meditation on motherhood, love and loss, Symphony of Sorrowful Songs adapts texts in Polish taken from sources spanning the centuries, giving perspectives from both a mother having lost their child, and a child separated from their parents.

Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3 (Symphony of Sorrowful Songs) broke records upon its release in 1992 and became a critical sensation, growing to be one of the best-selling contemporary works of our time and cementing itself as one of modern classical music’s finest compositions. 

Isabella Bywater, designer of ENO’s beloved production of La bohème, returns to direct this unprecedented staged production of Górecki’s beloved work. Russian-American conductor, Lidiya Yankovskaya, makes her ENO debut, conducting the full force of the ENO Orchestra to perform Henryk Górecki’s catalogue of works. Watch how Lidiya strikes a delicate balance between his roots in serialism and the emotional vulnerability of his later compositions.

Supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Professor Peter and Dr Tara Lindstedt, The Millington Family and Peter Hill and Elizabeth McKay.