Lutosławski: Vocal works

Featuring

Edward Gardner
Lucy Crowe
Toby Spence
Christopher Purves
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Witold Lutosławski

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Composer Biography

Witold Lutosławski, a Polish composer, also wrote popular light songs under the pseudonym 'Derwid' in the 1940s and '50s.

Composition History

Lutosławski's Lacrimosa (1937) is the only surviving fragment of an intended Requiem and is the only sacred piece in his output.

Historical Context

Lutosławski composed the Silesian Triptych (1951) during the post-war era of socialist realism, which compelled composers to connect with the 'broad masses' through folk culture.

Recording & Production

This recording was generously supported by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute as part of the Polska Music grant programme, which promotes Polish classical music.

Compositional Technique

From his Five Songs onwards, Lutosławski developed a distinctive musical language based on twelve-note harmony and ad libitum rhythmic ideas.

Composition History

Paroles tissées (1965), meaning 'Woven Words', was inspired by Jean-François Chabrun's poetry and was written for and premiered by tenor Peter Pears.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Lutosławski understood the poetry of Paroles tissées as having the 'logic of dreams' and structured the work with a main climax towards the end, a procedure common in his instrumental works.