Contemporary music
Albums
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 6 (Piano Concerto - Cello Concerto - Fanfare for CUBE - Fanfare for Louisville...)
Jacek Kaspszyk
Concertos - Released March 31, 2014 | CD Accord
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 5 (Symphony No.3 - Lacrimosa - Symphonic Variations - Silesian Triptych - Little Suite)
Jacek Kaspszyk
Classical - Released March 31, 2014 | CD Accord
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 4 (Concerto for Orchestra - Symphony No. 1)
Stanislaw Skrowaczewski
Symphonic Music - Released March 3, 2014 | CD Accord
Witold Lutoslawski (Volume 3) : Œuvres orchestrales
Edward Gardner
Symphonic Music - Released November 1, 2012 | Chandos
Witold Lutoslawski (Volume 2) : Œuvres orchestrales
Louis Lortie
Symphonic Music - Released December 27, 2011 | Chandos
The second volume of Witold Lutoslawski's orchestral works on Chandos presents two sets of orchestral variations, a piano concerto and a symphony, composed over a period stretching from 1936 to 1992. This long time frame shows different stylistic and idiomatic changes in Lutoslawski's music, so the Symphonic Variations and the Variations on a Theme of Paganini reveal a recognizably melodic and tonal basis in his early music that most listeners will find easy to comprehend. The later works, perhaps to the contrary, reflect the increasing chromaticism, aleatoric operations, and near-atonality in Lutoslawski's musical language, so the Concerto for piano and orchestra and the Symphony No. 4 are considerably harder for a casual classical listener to appreciate without total immersion in the music's currents. The performances by Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra, featuring pianist Louis Lortie in the Piano Concerto and the Paganini Variations, are lively and energetic, and for all the complexity of these works, they demonstrate complete mastery of the details and control over the music's direction. However, the enigmatic expressions of Lutoslawski's music may make this album a tough nut to crack for some, even among experienced listeners, so repeated listening is recommended. The exceptional super audio reproduction is a real aid to enjoying Lutoslawski's orchestration and the playing of the BBC Symphony, so this is a fine entry point for newcomers to this composer.© TiVo
Witold Lutoslawski (Volume 2) : Vocal Works
Edward Gardner
Vocal Music (Secular and Sacred) - Released September 1, 2011 | Chandos
This Chandos album featuring Edward Gardner leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra is an excellent introduction to the works for solo voice and orchestra that made up an important but sometimes overlooked part of Witold Lutoslawski's output. The earliest piece is a ravishing 1937 Lacrimosa for soprano, the only surviving section of a projected requiem, that demonstrates the composer's mastery of intensely expressive post-Romantic lyricism and his gift for vocal writing. Silesian Triptych, also for soprano and orchestra, was written in 1951, when the composer was subject to the demand for "Soviet realism" imposed by the forces occupying Poland. In his setting of these songs, based on simple folk tunes, Lutoslawski transcends stylistic constraints; this is clearly the work of an exceptional creative imagination, a major composer. The luminous end of the second song for instance, is so unexpected yet so utterly apt, so right, that it almost takes one's breath away. Paroles tissées for tenor and orchestra from 1965 is a work of the composer's maturity. His lyrical treatment of the voice combined with his expanded harmonic vocabulary and an even more refined orchestration create a hauntingly surreal and spare but approachable piece. Les espaces du sommeil, written in 1975 for baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau is acknowledged as one of his most distinguished works. One of the Lutoslawski's last compositions, Chantefleurs et Chantefables for soprano and orchestra, is a suite of gentle, picturesque evocations of flowers and animals. Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra deliver assured, atmospheric performances of all the works, and soloists, soprano Lucy Crowe, tenor Toby Spence, and baritone Christopher Purves, are consistently first-rate, all singing with lovely, secure tone, and insightful understanding. Chandos' sound is clean and detailed.© TiVo
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 3 (Preludes and Fugue for 13 solo strings - Double Concerto for oboe, harp and chambe rorchestra)
Nicholas Daniel
Concertos - Released July 12, 2011 | CD Accord
Witold Lutoslawski : Dernier Concert
Fujiko Imajishi
Classical - Released October 6, 2010 | Naxos
Lutoslawski: Concerto for Orchestra, Symphony No. 3 (Orchestral Works I)
Edward Gardner
Symphonic Music - Released October 1, 2010 | Chandos
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 2
Jacek Kaspszyk
Symphonies - Released June 1, 2010 | CD Accord
Witold Lutosławski : Opera Omnia, Vol. 1 : Chamber Music
Lutoslawski Quartet Wroclaw
Quartets - Released May 1, 2010 | CD Accord
Witold Lutoslawski : 20 chants de Noël polonais
Olga Pasichnyk
Classical - Released September 5, 2005 | Naxos
Witold Lutoslawski : Preludes and Fugue for Solo Strings - Postludes - Fanfares
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released October 17, 2001 | Naxos
Witold Lutoslawski : Symphony No. 1 - Chantefleurs et Chantefables
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released March 9, 1999 | Naxos
Witold Lutoslawski : Concerto for Orchestra - Three Poems - Mi-Parti
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released October 5, 1998 | Naxos
Witold Lutoslawski : Symphony No. 3 - Paganini Variations
Bernd Glemser
Classical - Released February 28, 1997 | Naxos
Witold Lutoslawski : Symphony No. 2 - Little Suite - Symphonic Variations - Piano Concerto
Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released September 16, 1996 | Naxos
Concerto pour orchestre - Musique funèbre - Mi-parti
Yan Pascal Tortelier
Concertos - Released January 1, 1996 | Chandos