Customer Reviews

Symphonies 2 & 3 / Concerto for Orchestra

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Even though Szymanowski and Lutoslawski are probably the two best-known Polish composers of the 20th century, combining them in a double-CD set seems a bit odd. Szymanowski's music tends to the impressionistic and mystical, while Lutoslawski leans more toward the Stravinskian side. But if you are interested in both, this is an excellent buy, since all the performances are excellent and the sound first-rate. Szymanoski's Third Symphony and Second Violin Concerto are both central to his repertoire and receive atmospheric and gripping performances, especially from Chantal Juillet in the Concerto. The Second Symphony is an earlier work and sounds a bit too much like Richard Strauss for my taste, but it has its moments. The selection from Lutoslawski is a judicious one, combining his popular Concerto for Orchestra with some later works in a somewhat more challenging idiom. The performances, each by a different orchestra and conductor, are uniformly good, though i've heard more thrilling versions of the Concerto and more intense presentations of the Funeral Music. All things considered this is a very good buy, especially if you are looking for an entrance into the worlds of these two 20th-century masters.

This is a bit of a mixed bag in terms of the compositions and the performers. But at London/Decca's great twofer price and some classic performances of the 1970s and early 1980s to boot, it's a good set to pick up. The Paul Kletzki performance of the Lutoslawski Concerto for Orchestra was a welcome entry when it was first issued on LP, paired with a commendable rendition of the Mathis der Maler Suite of Hindemith ... and it's still one of the best in the catalogue. Some of the other Lutoslawski compositions here won't be to many listeners' liking; it's no wonder the Concerto is his most popular work, because it's the most accessible.

Turning to the Szymanowski works, the 2nd Violin Concerto has been done better by several other women violinists: Wanda Wilkomirska and Lydia Mordkovitch. But Chantal Juillet does an OK job here, with sympathetic accompaniment by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony. The Symphony No. 3 "Song of the Night" is really more of a tone poem with vocal effects. But the Symphony No. 2 is a real stunner -- and it's given a stunning performance here. This was written during Szymanowski's "transitional" stage when he was migrating from a late-Germanic style (in the manner of Richard Strauss) to a "sophisticated impressionist" style -- further advanced harmonically than Debussy, perhaps closer to the musical style of Sorabji and Cyril Scott.

Antal Dorati's performance of this symphony here was one of the best in the series of recordings he made for London/Decca while he was music director of the Detroit Symphony, which was his last official post. This is a more athletic and lively interpretation than one normally hears ... the music fairly leaps off the page, and Szymanowski's nervous energy is really palpable. This is music that gets under your skin, driving inexorably to a magnificent resolution/conclusion that'll have you ready to jump up from your seat and exclaim, "Right On!" I've listened to many recordings of this symphony, but this one reaches the pinnacle, IMHO. The orchestra responds to Maestro Dorati's leadership with precision and ardor, and the recording quality is also very good (especially considering it was one of Decca's first digital releases at a time when none of the record companies had yet figured out how to avoid the flat sound and lack of depth inherent in digital recording).

Highly recommended for two works, then ... and at an unbeatable price.

Even with increased performances of the works of two famous Polish poets of music the composers highlighted her in this 2 CD set remain relatively unknown to the general public. And that is a pity as they were both giants of their time and are very much missed. The recording is a collection from other releases so thee are no surprises for the collector here - six conductors and various ensembles are represented but in a way that enhances the decision to gather these specific pieces together for presentation of music that is radiant.

Witold Lutosl'awski (January 25, 1913 - February 7, 1994) and Karol Szymanowski (3 October 1882 - 28 March 1937) are the composers this release honors. Honoring the memory of Szymanowski, Antal Dorati (1906 - 1988) conducts the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in both the Symphony No. 2 and the Symphony No. 3, better known as 'The Song of the Night', recordings released separately but worth the re-polishing of this mastering. Dorati was an early supporter of Szymanowski and his performance of the Symphony No. 3 with the Kenneth Jewell Chorale and tenor soloist Ryszard Karczykowski remains one of the finest interpretations of this haunting work. Szymanowski's Violin Concerto No. 2 completes the mini-survey of the composers work and is ably performed by Chantal Juillet, supported by Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. This may not be the most distinguished solo performer of the work but the integration between the soloists and the orchestra is a model of conviction.

Lutoslawski's most popular composition (at the moment) is his Concerto for Orchestra, now a staple in the repertoires of most major orchestras. Paul Kletzki conducts the L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande here and while for this listener there are several more exhilarating performances on record, this one is solid if not virtuosic. The real pleasure of this release is the inclusion of some rarely heard Lutoslawski works - the intimate chamber piece, 'Paroles tissées' (Woven words), for tenor & 20 solo instruments performed by Peter Pears and the London Sinfonietta, the dashing 'Variations on a theme of Paganini' for piano & orchestra with Peter Jablonski and Vladimir Ashkenazy conducting the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and concluding with the haunting, elegiac Funeral Music for String Orchestra, a tribute to Bela Bartók, a work the open and closes with a cello solo as mournfully beautiful as any cello music written. Christoph von Dohnanyi conducts the Cleveland Orchestra is this little masterpiece. Grady Harp, July 11