Witold LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994)
Orchestral Works
CD 1
Symphonic Variations (1938) [8:52]
Symphony No.1 (1947) [24:43]
Funeral Music (1958) [13:30]
Symphony No.2 (1966-68) [31:22]
CD 2
Concerto for Orchestra (1953) [28:27]
Jeux Vénitiens (1961) [12:58]
Livre pour Orchestre (1968) [21:12]
Mi-parti (1976) [14:35]
Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra/Witold Lutoslawski
rec. 24-28 May, 21-25 July 1976, 13-16 December 1977, Studio of Polish Radio
and TV, Katowice, Poland. Stereo. ADD
EMI CLASSICS 9072262 [78:39 + 77:32]
Lutoslawski's instrument was the piano, but his mastery of orchestration was
second to none. The diversity of the works on these two discs is impressive.
It ranges from the neo-classicism (or at least neo-Stravinskyism) of the Symphonic
Variations (1938), through the socialist realism of the First Symphony (1947),
to the Modernist works of the late 1950s and 1960. The common thread that
runs through everything is the sheer dexterity of the composer in his use
of the orchestra. Even in the earlier works, where stylistic constraints keep
many aspects of the music locked in a kind of mythical 19th century,
the use of the orchestra is always right up to the minute. And when he starts
using his 'limited aleatory' techniques in works such as Jeux Vénitiens,
these too seem perfectly matched to the instrumentation, as if the loosening
of synchronisation has had the effect of liberating the individual instruments.
It is this later music that is most interesting; at least to me. The Symphonic
Variations, First Symphony and Concerto for Orchestra feel like a grounding
in the composer's past before the real business begins, starting with the
incomparable Funeral Music of 1958 and on to the Second Symphony of
1966-8, which is perhaps his greatest work. That said, the composer's most
popular, or at least most performed, orchestral work, is his Concerto for
Orchestra, so perhaps these earlier pieces do have an audience after all.
The format of the two discs is to begin with earlier works in both cases before
moving on to the later material, so if you want to know what makes Lutoslawski
distinctive, you'd probably be better off starting the first disc on track
6 (Funeral Music) and the second on track 4 (Jeux Vénitiens).
The performances are as good as any, which, considering how much interest
there has been in Lutoslawski from recording companies in the years since
his death, is no mean feat. The composer leads the orchestra with a steady
hand. Little of this music requires overt interpretation; the scores (even
the aleatory ones) give enough detail that the composer's intentions can be
followed precisely at the podium. Despite a certain Impressionism that informs
much of the music, detail matters, and Lutoslawski makes a point of bringing
out the significant orchestral effects. He is fond of large percussion sections
and rasping brass, but is also able to find the ideal balance between these
potentially disrupting forces and the strings and woodwind.
Great as these recordings are, it is worth bearing in mind what they are not.
One thing this release certainly is not is the complete orchestral music of
Witold Lutoslawski. Naxos are currently undertaking such a project and it
has already reached Vol.7. The composer had almost twenty years of creative
activity ahead of him when he conducted these sessions in 1976/77. Of the
later orchestral scores, the three Chain works and the Third Symphony stand
out.
Something else that this is not is new. The two discs were originally released
separately in the late 1970s. They were then re-mastered and re-released in
1994. These were then reissued as a two disc box on the EMI Double Forte label
in 2000, and have now reappeared in this 20th Century Classics
series. This is still the 1994 re-master, and good as it is, if you've heard
these discs before, don't expect anything new from this release.
That said, the sound quality is not at all bad. EMI sent their own engineers
to Poland for the sessions. They weren't recording in digital by that stage,
but the results are still convincing. The worst that can be said is that the
sound often seems slightly muffled and the back of the orchestra, particularly
the percussion, seems strangely distant. The slightly dated sound is what
distinguishes these recordings from the more high-tech ones that have appeared
in recent years. From an interpretive point of view, it is nice of have the
composer at the podium, but every conductor who has recorded this music since
has heard these discs, and none has strayed significantly from the model presented.
An important historical document then, but an enjoyable listen too.
Gavin Dixon
An important historical document then, but an enjoyable listen too.
see also review by John Phillips of previous (Double Forte) release