Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki (Polish: ['xenrik mji'kowaj gu'retski]; English pronunciation Go-RET-ski; December 6, 1933 - November 12, 2010) was a Polish composer of contemporary classical music. According to critic Alex Ross, no recent classical composer has had as much commercial success as Gorecki. Gorecki became a leading figure of the Polish avant-garde during the post-Stalin cultural thaw.

During the last decade of his life, Gorecki suffered from frequent illnesses. His Symphony No. 4 was due to be premiered in London in 2010, by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but the event was cancelled due to the composer's ill health. He died on November 12, 2010, in his home city of Katowice, of complications due to a lung infection. Reacting to his death, the head of the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music, Professor Eugeniusz Knapik, said "Gorecki's work is like a huge boulder that lies in our path and forces us to make a spiritual and emotional effort". Adrian Thomas, Professor of Music at Cardiff University, said "The strength and startling originality of Gorecki's character shone through his music [...] Yet he was an intensely private man, sometimes impossible, with a strong belief in family, a great sense of humour, a physical courage in the face of unrelenting illness, and a capacity for firm friendship". Gorecki was awarded the Order of the White Eagle by the President of the Republic of Poland Bronislaw Komorowski, Poland's highest honour, just a month before his death. The Order was presented by the wife of President Komorowski in Gorecki's hospital bed. Earlier, Gorecki was awarded the Order Odrodzenia Polski II class and III class and the Order of St. Gregory the Great. He was married to Jadwiga, a piano teacher. His daughter, Anna Gorecka-Stanczyk, is a pianist, and his son, Mikolaj Gorecki, is a composer as well. He was also survived by five grandchildren. The world premiere of the Fourth Symphony took place on April 12, 2014. It was performed, as originally scheduled in 2010, by the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall, London, but with Andrey Boreyko conducting, instead of Marin Alsop.

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