Witold Lutosławski - Orchestral Works Vol. 1 (Edward Gardner)

Information

Composer: Witold Lutosławski

• Symphony No. 3
• Chain 3
• Concerto for Orchestra

BBC Symphony Orchestra

Edward Gardner, conductor

Date: 2010

Label: Chandos

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Review

The peremptory four-note call-to-attention that launches Lutosπawski’s Third Symphony is a good starting-point for an important new series from Chandos, resplendently recorded. On this evidence, Edward Gardner and the BBC SO are a dream team, pressing the claims of a composer who has been neglected since his death in 1994, and whose impending centenary in 2013 reinforces the case for reappraisal.

Out in front is the Concerto for Orchestra, completed in 1954. Even the kind of sensitive soul who hears overtones of socialist triumphalism in its exuberant flamboyance should concede that there’s none of the conveyor-belt mechanics that afflict other would-be affirmative efforts from this region at this time; only Shostakovich’s Tenth Symphony runs it close as a Soviet bloc masterwork from the early 1950s. But such an achievement, in a relatively conservative style, means that Lutosπawski’s attempts to adapt to new freedoms after 1954 will be judged even more sceptically than might otherwise be the case. Progress is all very well, but what if the un-progressive music is so much better than what followed it?

Chain 3 (1986) makes as strong a case for the new Lutosπawski as the Concerto does for the old: fresh in atmosphere, witty and eloquent in style, the final, dramatic dissolution of its oddly consonant climax chord retaining its power to disconcert. The Third Symphony also has its disconcerting moments, such as the appearance of a distinctly sentimental tune in the later stages. But then, in the nick of time, Lutosπawski rebuilds tension and textural richness to complete his complex design in a remarkably persuasive way. This performance sets the seal on a disc that leaves one eager for its successors.

— Arnold Whittall

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Witold Lutosławski (25 January 1913 – 7 February 1994) was a Polish composer and conductor. Educated in Warsaw, he initially drew inspiration from Polish folk music, gaining international recognition with works such as Concerto for Orchestra (1954). From the late 1950s, he developed innovative compositional techniques involving controlled aleatoricism, carefully structured musical materials and distinctive harmonic systems. Despite political pressure under postwar Stalinist rule, Lutosławski maintained his artistic independence. His major works include four symphonies, concertos and chamber compositions.

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Edward Gardner (born 22 November 1974) is an English conductor. Educated at the University of Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, he began as a choral conductor and répétiteur before advancing to major roles. He served as music director of English National Opera (2007–15) and later held key positions with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Bergen Philharmonic (2015–24), where he became honorary conductor. Since 2021, he has been principal conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra, with tenure extended to 2028. Gardner has recorded for EMI Classics and Chandos Records.

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