Witold LUTOSLAWSKI
(1913-1994)
Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings (1972) [35:41]
Double Concerto for Oboe, Harp and Chamber Orchestra (1980) [20:15]
Nicholas Daniel
(oboe), Lucy Wakeford (harp)
NFM Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum/Ernst Kovacic
NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra/Nicholas Daniel
rec. Witold Lutoslawski Philharmonic Concert Hall, Wroclaw, 18-19 September
2009 (Preludes amd Fugue) and 18 October 2008 (Double Concerto)
CD ACCORD
Digipack ACD 166-2 [56:09] 
Presented in the same luxury format as the others in the series (see review
of Vol.2), these recordings once again go up against those on the Naxos label
with Antoni Wit. The Preludes and Fugue on 8.555270 (see review)
is superbly intense, with all of the chamber-music sparkle and dramatic contrasts
one could want from this piece. Kovacic's players are set in a marginally
more resonant acoustic, and this allows the textures to spread a more effectively
when the writing becomes more ‘orchestral’. The strings of the Wroclaw Chamber
Orchestra (Leopoldinum) do a superb job, though it is almost as if a tinge
of Baroque historical performance style has entered their playing, with a
cleaner tone and lesser degrees of vibrato when compared with Wit’s Polish
National RS orchestra. I like both recordings and appreciate the fine qualities
of this CD Accord production, but there are some gains to be had in the aforementioned
intensity of the Naxos recording. It is where the eloquence of some passages
in the Preludium 3 for instance, that the clarity of the Wroclaw playing
begins to tell. The little pizzicato sections and fragmentary notes here and
elsewhere also have a more natural, less self-conscious feel, and the spine-tingling
sustained effects from Preludium 4 grow out of an emotional base which
seems to have its roots in a far deeper and darker, more violent place. The
final Fuga brings a catch to my throat and tears to my eyes in this
recording, so good is it.
The Double Concerto is to be found on Naxos 8.555763, and with another
very good recording and performance with Antoni Wit (see review).
Nicholas Daniel is in a league of his own, but oboist Arkadiusz Krupa and
harpist Nicolas Talliez give away little to the soloists here. It is the presence
and impact of the Wroclaw strings which makes the opening to this piece more
impressive than the Naxos recording, and with everything else very much in
place the choice is a relatively easy one – unless budget should be your over-riding
concern. Daniel’s poetry is not only evident in the slow and lyrical central
Dolente, but is also an element in the vocal hysteria of the opening
Rapsodico, and the variety of his articulation and technical prowess
is stunning throughout. Lucy Wakeford’s harp is equally effective in musical
terms, though with a realistic concert balance it is less forward in the mix
than with the Naxos recording, and therefore blends as much as it blings when
the rest of the orchestra is also in full flow. Her sensitivity of touch is
given space in the Dolente movement, and cuts through the Marciale
e grotesco over the tightly disciplined playing of the orchestra, where
the more immediate balance makes all the difference when compared to the more
distant details of the Naxos recording. All of those kicking little slides
and percussive touches hit home marvellously with the Wroclaw recording, and
Daniel’s oboe sounds are a real treat.
Once again, the Polish Lutoslawski ‘Collected Works Release Project’ shows
the way in creating recordings with lasting impact, packaged in a desirable
and useful format with a booklet full of intelligent commentary. It might
have been nice if they’d squeezed one or two more works into the programme
given the duration, but as it stands this is the gold standard.
Dominy Clements
Gold standard.