Catalogue Classics: Witold Lutosławski's Concerto for Orchestra
Concerto for Orchestra
Although undoubtedly one the of most important composers of the twentieth century, Witold Lutosławski (1913-1994) was relatively unknown outside Poland until the 1960s. His Symphony No 1 was banned during the Stalinist era, the consequence of which was that he developed a fresh, tonal style, such as in the Concerto for Orchestra (1954).
It was in 1950 that Witold Rowicki, as Musical Director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, asked Lutoslawski to write a work especially for this newly formed ensemble. It was to be based, to some extent, on folk music and would aim to display the orchestra’s qualities without being too difficult. The resulting Concerto for Orchestra took nearly four years to complete. While much of the material used is folk orientated, no attempt was made to reproduce folk idioms. Lutosławski felt free to treat his basic ideas in a manner that did not put any curb on his creativity. Free use is made of all twelve notes, while sometimes the part writing suggests several simultaneous tonal planes.
The Concerto departs from convention in the matter of architecture, for no movement approximates, even remotely, to sonata form. The structure of the opening ‘Intrada’ is A-B-A, the whole of the first section being played over a reiterated pedal on F sharp – the work’s tonal centre. Whereas this first paragraph stems from a single idea that is handed over from one group of instruments to another, the texture gradually becoming more and more complex, the larger central panel is less limited in its material.
The final section provides a much condensed, quiet reprise of the opening one, the pedal F sharp now sounding in the high register. The second movement is also in tripartite form and it displays a similar contrast between its outer sections based on the same material. The first climax of any size introduces the central ‘Arioso’ which, far from being a slow section, maintains the same tempo as the ‘Capriccio’. The very condensed reprise of the first part finally peters out on divided double basses and drums of different sizes.
By far the longest movement is the third, which consists of three main sections, the ‘Toccata’ and ‘Chorale’ making up the first and second, while the substantial coda that follows constitutes the third. During the opening ‘Passacaglia’, the superimposed structures do not necessarily coincide with the basic theme which, because it is cyclic (its ending is also its beginning), can be said to start at more than one point. As the ‘Toccata’ draws towards its close, the ‘Chorale’ begins to emerge out of it, but later the two become ingeniously intertwined. The last part of the movement – a finale in all but name – refers back to the previous material, the theme of the ‘Passacaglia’ returning in a varied form.
© Malcolm Rayment
Programming with Concerto for Orchestra
Fire Stykker for Orkester (Four Pieces for Orchestra) (2004) 17 min
Originally written as piano studies, Hans Abrahamsen recomposed these four pieces and expanded them into orchestral works. While there is an echo present of the romantic history and musical qualities of the piano, it is distant and rather evokes the feeling of a dream or déjà-vu, giving way to an intriguing and haunting modern interpretation.
Métaboles (1965) 17 min
Aura (In memoriam Witold Lutoslawski) (1994) 40 min
Lindberg described the piece in the programme note: “Aura is in many ways the synthesis of the different approaches I have had to the orchestra in my earlier works. Evidently when working on a large scale work one is more concerned with formal problems. The architectonical large form and the balance between material and form become much more important to control.
One of the composers of our century who has renewed the relation between form and content is Witold Lutoslawski. His idea of a two part form with a presentation of a material and its qualities without any directional tendencies in the first movement, continued by a second movement where the material grows to an entity, is a genuine and clear approach to form today.
I believe the overall form of Aura would make it appropriate to call the piece a symphony. Still it is not a symphony. The piece could more easily be called a concerto for an orchestra, yet it isn't that either. Instruments and instrumental groups are often treated in a very virtuosic way, but this is more the result of a certain treatment of the material than an instrumental approach.”
Concerto for Orchestra (1996) 32 min
Commissioned by Lorin Maazel and the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and first performed by them for their centenary anniversary concert in March 1996, with conductor Edo de Waart.
Concerto for Orchestra consists of 5 movements. 4 uniquely defined sections and a busy finale wherein some of the main ideas from the previous movements are re-worked and framed in altered contexts, keeping the whole orchestra well-occupied throughout.
Fünf Orchesterstücke (Five Orchestral Pieces) Op. 16 (1949)
(New version (1949, 1952, 1973)) 20 min
The new version of Schoenberg’s Five Orchestral Pieces is a collation of all existent sources of his Opus 16. That includes sketches, autographs, and Schoenberg’s personal copies of the various printed editions, featuring his additions and corrections as well as conductorial annotations. Schoenberg dedicated this new edition to the memory of Henri Hinrichsen.
Poème in E-flat major 15 min
While on holiday in Florence, Chausson wrote this short violin concerto to a request from violinist, conductor, and composer Eugène Ysaÿe who premiered the work in 1896. Poème does not follow any formal structure, but is moody and rhapsodic, held together by rising and falling tension and Chausson’s advanced harmonic style.
Walkabout: Concerto for Orchestra (2016) 30 min
This work is inspired by Gabriela Lena Frank’s travels in Perú, her mother’s homeland. In four movements, Walkabout uses both musical and extra-musical influences from Perú.
Out of This World - Parting (1994) 7 min
Written in memoriam to Witold Lutosławski at the request of Warsaw Autumn 1995 to commemorate the late composer. The title quotes a poem by Turkish 14th century poet Yunus Emre: ‘We are on the way out of this world, we send our greetings to those left behind...’
Symfoni nr. 8 (2011) 28 min
The symphony is building musical structures through rhythmic and melodic transformation, ranging from large tutti passages to lively solos. Leading through a slow second movement, the orchestra finally works restlessly towards the climax in the third, before the music vanishes in a soft murmur.
Step Right Up (Piano Concerto) (2018) 23 min
In this piano concerto, Mendonca explores the relationship between piano and orchestra using the three movement to seek a different balance between these two partners.
He writes in the program note: The piano “has a relationship with the orchestra, but there is no real intimacy - it is a polite relationship. But above all it is a power relationship: because of its volume, scope, agility and dynamic response, the piano is also the closest instrument to the orchestra. If the orchestra is a splendid, kaleidoscopic music box, the piano is surely the most dazzling of sound machines."
Zodiac Tales, Concerto for Orchestra (2005) 25 min
Every Chinese is born in a zodiac year symbolized by a specific animal that accompanies the person throughout his or her life: the year of the mouse, the buffalo, the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the serpent, the horse, the ram, the monkey, the rooster, the dog, and the pig.
Midnight Sun Variations (2019) 11 min
Midnight Sun Variations musically captures the light in the arctic summer night, where the sky displays a rich spectrum of vibrant colours that will soon be enveloped in darkness when winter comes. But it is also about giving birth, and restoring the mother’s former self after parting from the child within her body.
Silver Ladders (1986) 23 min
The images and feelings of this composition are reflected in the title. Its many upward-moving lines suggest nothing so much as a giant ladder, reaching to the sky and moving into space. Just as the metal silver has many contrasting qualities, so the textures of this music range from heavy to light, solid to fluid. Like a silversmith, Tower places rising motives in various contexts, molding and shaping the music to reveal its multiple properties. Instrumental solos spin forth slowly like liquid metal, fluid and silvery, providing contrast to the solid orchestral ladder surrounding them.
Drømmespil (1975) 10 min
Meaning Dream Play, the work can be viewed as a dreamlike competition where the participants face each other, not to defeat but to appreciate their differences; to pause their rivalry and instead embrace each other.
Metamorphic Variations (1972) 40 min
These variations for a large orchestra were completed in December 1972. They were written for the Croydon Arts Festival of 1973 and received their first performance that spring with the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Vernon Handley. The composer added the word 'metamorphic' to the title, because the three themes that constitute the opening section of the work, called Elements, undergo a greater transformation during the forty-minute work than the simple word 'variations' implies.