LUTOSLAWSKI : Symphonies • Concertos • Choral and Vocal Works (Antoni Wit) 10CD (2013) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

For the greater part of two decades, Antoni Wit and the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra recorded the symphonies, concertos, and other major works of Witold Lutoslawski, in a project for Naxos that won critical praise and admiration from listeners. By the time of his death in 1994, Lutoslawski had achieved recognition as one of Poland's most important composers, and his music was widely respected for being at the vanguard of 20th century trends. His styles changed over the years, from the Bartók-influenced, folk-inflected Concerto for Orchestra, perhaps his most popular work, through serial compositions and aleatoric experiments, yet Lutoslawski was esteemed for the integrity and consistent high quality of his music, independent of techniques and academic fashions. While these performances vary in intensity and expressive sympathy in particular pieces, they are extraordinary for the sheer commitment to Lutoslawski's output, and they offer a consistent and competent approach to his work as a whole. In a set of this wide scope, the variables of venues, recording sessions, and the musicians' preparation contribute to the set's slightly uneven reproduction. However, students of the composer's music will be pleased to find all ten CDs gathered together in one sturdy box, which is a benefit greater than the minor flaws of some of the tracks. Blair Sanderson  

WITOLD LUTOSLAWSKI (1913-1994)

CD01
Symphony No. 1 • Silesian Triptych • Jeux vénitiens • Chantefleurs et Chantefables • Postludium I

CD02
Symphonic Variations • Little Suite • Symphony No. 2 • Concert for piano & orchestra,

CD03
Paganini Variations • Paroles tissées (Woven Words) • Les Espaces du sommeil (The Spaces of Sleep) • Symphony No. 3

CD04
Musique funèbre • Chain II: Dialogue for violin & orchestra • Partita for violin & orchestra,

CD05
Livre pour orchestre • Concerto for cello & orchestra • Novelette,Chain III

CD06
Concerto for orchestra • Three Poems by Henri Michaux • Mi-parti for symphony orchestra • Overture for strings

CD07
Three Postludes • Preludes & Fugue for 13 solo strings • Mini Overture • Fanfares

CD08
Dance Preludes for clarinet & orchestra • Double Concerto for oboe & harp • Two Children's Songs for voice & chamber orchestra • Six Children's Songs for voice & instruments

CD09
20 Polish Christmas Carols • Lacrimosa • 5 Songs

CD10
BONUS : Lutoslawski's Last Concert
Partita for violin & orchestra • Chain II: Dialogue for violin & orchestra • Chantefleurs et Chantefables,
All Tracks & Credits