HENRYK MIKOLAJ GORECKI (b.1933)
Symphony No.3, op.36 (1976)
'Symphony of Sorrowful Songs'
I recommend everyone here interested in classical (contemporary) music give this a listen. Anyone handy with file-sharing clients shouldn't have a problem finding this...try before you buy.
Very dark, subtle, slow, almost prayer-like. Simple melody, with a simple message. Undoubtedly Christian, but the overall theme is of motherhood and maternal love, a universal theme for us all.
The soprano in each movement is in Polish.
I specifically love the second movement:
Polish:
Mamo, nie placz, nie.
Niebios Przeczysta Królowo,
Ty zawsze wspieraj mnie.
Zdrowas Mario.
English:
No, Mother, do not weep,
Most chaste Queen of Heaven
Help me always.
Hail Mary (Ave Maria)
Be patient, it might not be what you're used to listening to, but it is quite uplifting and rewarding.