Lutosławski: Orchestral Works

The Polish composer Lutoslawski is one of the towering figures of 20th century music. His Concerto for Orchestra can stand comparison to the famous example by Bartók, and Mi-parti from 1976 has become a modern classic.

Lutoslawski came from a wealthy family, who at the onset of the Prussian War, were forced to flee to Russia. In Moscow, they soon ran into trouble with the revolutionary forces, and his father was shot by a Red Army firing squad. He returned to Warsaw in the '20s, where he settled down to study with Szymanowski. Szymanowski's influence was to remain a strong force throughout his creative life. To help support himself, he played piano in cafes together with his friend and contemporary Andrej Panufnik.

The Second World War saw tragedy strike him again -- this time his brother was killed in a Soviet labour camp, and he himself walked 250 miles to escape the invading Germans, returning to Russia for the second time. This time he remained, but it was only after the death of Stalin in 1953 that he could write freely, without the risk of 'official' criticism.

His style is rooted in the late romanticism of Szymanowski, but infused with Stravinsky, Bartók, Martinu, Roussel and Schoenberg. Add to this the terrible personal suffering he endured during his time in Moscow, and the 1940s and we hear one of the distinctive musical voices of our time.

These recordings, directed by the composer in 1976/7 contain all the orchestral music he had written up to that point, and are essential listening for all that are interested in 20th century music.

Further information
- 'It's my guess that posterity will judge Witold Lutowslaski among the supreme twentieth century musical colourists. All in all, this must surely count as the introduction to Lutoslawski's symphonic world.' Gramophone reviewing the original release