Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil

Witold Lutoslawski (Composer), Esa-Pekka Salonen (Conductor), Los Angeles Philharmonic (Orchestra), John Shirley-Quirk - Baritone (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: John Shirley-Quirk - Baritone
• Orchestra: Los Angeles Philharmonic
• Conductor: Esa-Pekka Salonen
• Composer: Witold Lutoslawski
• Audio CD (October 4, 1994)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony Classical
• ASIN: B000002AQ0
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #93,557 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Salonen's Third is better than the conductor's own version, June 3, 2005

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R. Hutchinson "autonomeus" (a world ruled by fossil fuels and fossil minds) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil (Audio CD)

The first recording I heard of Lutoslawski's Third Symphony was the first, with Lutoslawski himself conducting the Berlin Philharmonic in November, 1985. You can find it on THE ESSENTIAL LUTOSLAWSKI (see my review), an excellent 2-disc Philips set. The Third was widely acclaimed as one of Lutoslawski's masterpieces, but I just didn't hear it. About three years later, I finally heard Salonen's recording with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, from just one month later, December, 1985 -- it is a much stronger, more biting, more convincing interpretation and performance. A clear lesson that composers are not always their own best interpreters!

On the other hand, I am still not convinced that the Third is one of Lutoslawski's best works, nor that it is one of the best late 20th century symphonic works. It basically just meanders in a series of digressions, some at very low volume, and while it has several compelling passages, it never coheres into any sort of compelling structure. (The Second Symphony, also available from Sony with Salonen conducting, is even more shapeless and meandering!) So the 4 stars is for composition, not for conducting, performance or recording, all of which merit 5 stars.

The Fourth Symphony, one of Lutoslawski's last, was commissioned by Salonen and the LAP. It is a shorter work for smaller forces, sounding more like chamber music than a symphony. Though less ambitious than the Third, it is more coherent. I prefer the version on Naxos, though, with Antoni Wit conducting the Polish National Radio Symphony. By comparison, Salonen's version is more wispy, emphasizing details and texture that sound Debussian and Bartokian, while Wit's version is fuller-bodied, more Romantic.

I still recommend THE ESSENTIAL LUTOSLAWSKI as the best introduction for new listeners. It contains several works that I consider to be much better than these symphonies -- the "Concerto for Orchestra" (better than Bartok's work by the same name!), "Venetian Games," "Funeral Music," and the "Concerto for oboe, harp and chamber orchestra." Another great collection is an EMI 2-disc GEMINI set called Lutoslawski: Orchestral Works; Songs; String Quartet (see my review). Recorded in Poland in the mid-1970s, it features the composer conducting six works, some of which are more dissonant and avant-garde than most I've heard by him, including vocal and choral works. It also includes a fantastic 1995 performance of the "String Quartet" by the Alban Berg Quartet. These are definitely worth hearing, but I remain convinced that Lutoslawski was at his best when he didn't venture quite so far from the classical tradition.

(verified purchase from Virgin Records in Edinburgh, Scotland)

18 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Greatest Symphonist since Mahler., January 6, 1999

By 

Karl Henzy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil (Audio CD)

I have become convinced that Lutoslawski is the greatest symphonist since Mahler, with only Elliott Carter as an contempory equal in orchestral writing. Carter may even surpass Lutoslawski if his Symphonia is as great as press reports say (a recording should be released next year), but that doesn't take away from what Lut. has accomplished. Symphonies 2-4, along with Livre Pour Orchestre, Novelette, and the various Concerti, all repay multiple listenings. Symph.No.3 is probably the masterpiece, all-in-all, but No.2 is the most radical experimentally, while No.4 may be the most beautiful. In all of them, you get continual surprises, vibrant sounds and rhythms, and a wholely original means of organization, like nothing before it. While Lut. is entirely modern, he's not so dark and dreary as some modern composers, nor is he simplistic like the minimalists. He's just great.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, if not quite true to the score, November 4, 2009

By 

Personne (Rocky Mountain West) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil (Audio CD)

Lutoslawski's Third Symphony is one of the finest works in this form of the century. It is bold and sweeping, using nothing less than Beethoven's own Fifth Symphony as a rhythmic framework. Unlike many modern symphonic works, it doesn't shy away from an honest-to-goodness climax. It is a piece that will have you on the edge of your seat.

I own the score to this symphony, and it's obvious that Salonen does not always follow the score directions faithfully. Sometimes he raises the dynamic level, sometimes he ignores mute indications. Salonen himself is a composer, and I suppose he couldn't resist a few "improvements". It's an exciting performance to be sure, but one should also be familiar with a more accurate performance (the series by Antoni Wit on Naxos is quite true).

I don't think the Fourth Symphony quite rises to the heights of the Third, but it's still a fine piece. It ends with a quiet coda that must be a third the length of the piece.

"Les Espaces du Sommeil" is a wonderful example of orchestral lieder. Evocative and colorful, it haunts the imagination. There's a downward-winding vocal line at one key moment that you wish could go on forever. We are fortunate to have several excellent performances of this piece. John Shirley-Quirk does the honors on this CD. I knew his voice well from many performances under Britten and Davis. It's awfully nice to hear it applied to this deserving music.

There are few of Lutoslawski's pieces that aren't available in multiple recordings. I own most of them. As with any other truly great composer, a single performance cannot capture all of a piece. To those that don't know this composer, this CD is a good place to start. To those that do, make a little room on your bookshelf for it.