Search - Lutoslawski, Polish Nat'l Radio Symp Orchestra :: Symphonies 1 & 2

An Amazing and Complex Vision

Daniel R. Greenfield | Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | 04/20/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Lutoslawski's music is assertively modern and full of color like a painting by Kandinsky. Although Naxos has recently released a quality five-volume series of Lutoslawski's orchestral works, the special merit of this EMI double-cd set is that we have here the composer conducting his own works. Especially stunning among this career-spanning selection of works are the second movement of the Second Symphony and the Musique Funebre. The latter work, in particular: If you are brave enough to take my dare of listening to it with the volume up on a good pair of speakers, prepare yourself for a sonic orgasm.Once you have encountered music such as this, you will be forever spoiled; you will not want to bother with tamer fare ever again. Listening to this fine album, you can easily tell that Lutoslawski was deeply in love with the orchestral palette, and that he took great joy in creating new sounds that conjure up a an amazing and complex vision."

The Full Spectrum of a Polish Master

Christopher Forbes | Brooklyn,, NY | 08/02/2002

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This CD is the place to start if you are interested in delving into the work of Lutoslawski, arguably Poland's greatest late 20th century composer. (With apologies to Penderecki and Gorecki please!) This CD contains works from early in the composer's career, and works from the 50s and 60s that solidified him as a leader in the Polish Renaissance of the post war years. The early works are represented by the Symphonic Variations, a pleasant piece that still shows a bit too much early Stravinsky influence to be thought of as completely original. The Symphony No. 1 is more fully in Lutoslawski's voice. There are reminders of Hindemidth and Bartok but the music does not sound like either of those composers. It is an impressive piece. The final work from this period is the greatest and most popular of Lutoslawski's pieces, the Concerto for Orchestra. This is brilliant music, showing a debt to Bartok and Russian composers, but it holds it's own well. The four movements are highlighted by brilliant orchestral writing, immediately attractive melodic motives and a sound structural integrity. With this piece alone, Lutoslawski would have made his mark on the world. In the mid 50s the compositional atmosphere in Poland began to ease a bit. In response to this, Lutoslawski began to experiment with increasingly avant-garde techniques. The first step in this direction was Music funebre, and it is a stunning work! The piece is definately atonal, but Lutoslawski is careful to center his lines around tonic poles. The resulting music is lyrical, tragic and deeply felt. It is also a great piece of music to introduce people who are "scared" of atonal music, to the wonders of this genre. It is clearer than the Viennese composers, and as deeply felt. The remainder of works on this album are increasingly more avant-garde. Jeux venitiens is a work from the early 60s and shows the influence of the aleatoric procedures coming out of Darmstadt in the 50's, though only in a limited way. The second symphony further explores unusual textures and freely played rhythms. For me, perhaps the most interesting piece in the set is Mi-parti. This work is from the mid 70s and shows evidence of Lutoslawski's "late" manner, one in which his interest in clusters, tone color and chance procedures continues unabated, but there is a greater sense of reproachment with the past...something that parallels Penderecki's similar efforts in his "neo-romantic" works, and yet retains more ties to the avant-garde than that other great Polish genius. At the EMI Double Forte price, this CD is well worth the investment. Even if you have some of these works on the Naxos series, the performances here have to be considered definative, as they are conducted by the composer, using the orchestra most associated with these works. There is something for everyone here, from the most conservative listening to the most adventurous. Highly recommended!"