Lutosławski had mixed feelings about his Concerto for Orchestra, despite its global popularity, stating, 'It wasn't taking me in the direction I wanted to go.'
Performer Biography
Krzysztof Urbański, the conductor on this album, was so captivated by Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra at age sixteen that he skipped school to buy the score.
Composition History
The Little Suite was initially commissioned in 1949 by a Polish Radio ensemble specializing in folk music arrangements, and Lutosławski viewed it as 'functional' music.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Witold Lutosławski, the composer, aimed to renew Polish music by giving simple folk melodies a new character through counterpoint, while preserving their tonal nature.
Performer Biography
Krzysztof Urbański, the conductor, is the first conductor to ever receive the prestigious Leonard Bernstein Award.
Compositional Technique
Lutosławski's Fourth Symphony, his shortest, incorporates 'limited aleatorism,' a technique allowing musicians some freedom in tempo, though used less frequently here to emphasize lyricism.
Compositional Technique
Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra uniquely combines folklore elements with Baroque forms, a 'marriage' he had not encountered before.
