RIP: Henryk Górecki, 1933-2010

Polish contemporary classical music composer Henryk Górecki died Friday, November 12 of complications due to a lung infection.

Born in 1933, the fiercly individualistic composer wrote in a broad range of styles, moving from his early avant-garde compositions to his later sacred minimalist works. He is best known for Miserere, a choral work that commemorates police violence against the Polish Solidarity movement, and his Symphony No. 3, an achingly gorgeous lamentation for soprano and orchestra.