Gorecki's Totus Tuus

Sara Mohr Pietsch immerses us in the sound world of Totus Tuus by the Polish composer Henryk Gorecki, composed in 1987 in honour of a visit to Poland by Pope John Paul II, who was himself Polish by birth. We hear other music written for Popes, including Palestrina's mass for Pope Marcellus, which was sung at Papal coronations for centuries; and there's a moment from the soundtrack from the 2024 film 'Conclave'. Totus Tuus praises the Virgin Mary, and Schubert's celebrated Ave Maria makes an appearance. There's also music from 800 years of pilgrimages and a look across Polish music, from a seventeenth century dance by Adam Jarsębski to the hypnotic contemporary piano writing of Hania Rani.

To listen to this programme on most smart speakers, just say: 'Ask BBC Sounds to play Music Map'.