Polish composer Henryk Gorecki dies aged 76

Gorecki's Symphony No 3 became the best-selling record by a contemporary composer

Polish composer Henryk Gorecki has died at the age of 76, the country's national orchestra has announced.

He was best known for his Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, which was composed in 1976 and sold more than a million copies following a 1992 re-release.

The symphony, re-issued to commemorate those who died in the Holocaust, featured vocals from US soprano Dawn Upshaw.

It was often played on radio station Classic FM when it launched in 1992.

Monumental style

Gorecki had been suffering from a prolonged illness, a spokeswoman for Polish Radio's National Symphony Orchestra said.

He was born close to the industrial city of Katowice in southern Poland where he studied music and became a professor at the city's music academy.

The composer's earlier works in the 1950s and 1960s explored folk music traditions, but by the 1970s had formed into the monumental style he became famous for.

He was often at odds with the authorities in communist Poland, withdrawing from public life in the 1980s to concentrate on composing music.

Gorecki's Symphony No 3 became the best-selling record by a contemporary composer, with its slow and stark style dealing with the themes of war and separation.

The composer had completed his fourth symphony, but its premiere was shelved due to his illness.

He was awarded the Order of the White Eagle last month, Poland's highest honour.

In tribute, a Youtube clip from his symphony No. 3 "Sorrowful Songs" Used in Ripley's Game and other films. This is the second movement, the first and third are longer.