Beatus vir is classic second-period Górecki, written three years after the notorious Symphony No 3, in 1979, and receiving its first performance during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland in that year. It is a work deeply affirmative of Christian, and Catholic spirituality in particular, in the face of the desperate political situation in Poland at that time, and it is resonant with chorale-like writing and suggestions of chiming bells. The baritone soloist might also put one in mind of works by Penderecki, such as the St Luke Passion, though his musical language was changing just as much as Górecki’s. Szymon Mechliński is an absolutely first-class soloist, and I confess to preferring his vocal timbre (and his grasp of the melodic breadth of the work) to that of Andrzej Dobber in the excellent recording directed by Antoni Wit (Naxos, 6/01). Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk directs a performance of stunning intensity.

Canticum graduum for string orchestra dates from 1969 and might be said, like the Symphony No 2, Copernican, to be preparing the ground for later works such as Beatus vir. It shares with Beatus vir a feeling of being built on some unheard simple devotional chorale, though its harmonic language is far more chromatic. The Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra certainly have the measure of the work, under the unerring direction of Yaroslav Shemet, who also conducts the Concerto-Cantata from 1992. This is a very different kind of work, revelling in the dramatic contrasts in volume and style characteristic of the string quartets. Flautist Łukasz Długosz is superb, as rigorously controlled in the delicately balanced meditative sections as he is exuberant in the more lively dancelike passages.

If you speak Polish, you may enjoy the spoken introduction that constitutes the first track of the disc, but Górecki’s music has never needed framing in order to make an impact – these works, in these remarkable recordings, are as fresh today as when they were written, and it is wonderful to see that their power is not lost on younger generations of musicians.