How An Obscure Eastern European Symphony Sold A Million Copies And Changed The Classical Record Industry

William Robin traces the history of Henryk Górecki’s Symphony No. 3, from its unhappy premiere at a French avant-garde festival 40 years ago (allegedly, Pierre Boulez shouted “Merde!), through the release, 25 years ago, of the surprise hit recording by conductor David Zinman and soprano Dawn Upshaw, to the major labels’ attempts to repeat the work’s success.