Adorno Makes an Exception

Adorno’s critique of music, his sociological explanation for the phenomenon of music, appears to damper any artistic merit on behalf of the musicians. It seems to go too far and attack even the most virtuous and original compositions.

I’ve read Adorno with ambivalence. Only after what was mentioned in class, that Adorno wrote directly after the Holocaust, did I gain an appreciation and clarification of his writing.

I found these two pieces, one by Gorecki, the other a re-imagination of Gorecki. Both deal with the Holocaust, yet both refuse to stray far from the classical standards that Adorno criticized. 

So I ask, would Adorno appreciate these two works for the serious reflections, or would he admonish them for not having deviated enough from the social norms?

I would also briefly like to look at the radically different compositions of both of these pieces. It's as if the second of the two saw more intensity in Gorecki's piece than he did. And to bring the argument back to one of the first things we looked at this semester, how does a cover of a song change the original song's intent? How does it differ and what can it say about the individual or group who reinterprets it? How would Adorno view covers of songs? Would he be found of them, or would he dismiss them as no more than perpetuating the sociological norm?

Gorecki's 3rd Symphony:

Godspeed You! Black Emperor

Moya

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