With this second volume of Witold Lutoslawski’s orchestral music,
we reach the third of an excellent series conducted by Edward
Gardiner on the Chandos label. The Vocal Works disc
is reviewed here
and here,
and volume 1 of the Orchestral Works here.
The Symphonic Variations open an excellent 3 CD set
of Lutoslawski’s Orchestral Music from EMI (see review).
This is the kind of set any fan of 20th century Polish
music would have by default, and this BBC Symphony Orchestra
recording doesn’t really replace it, other than offering stunning
sound quality and remarkable detail. Lutoslawski’s conducting
shows verve equal to that of Gardner, with the latter also generating
greater extremes of mood, witnessed by a slightly longer duration
compared to the composer’s 8:52.
The Symphonic Variations also open the Naxos CD, 8.553169,
which carries the Piano Concerto. This is part of an
excellent series conducted by Antoni Wit, whose Polish National
Radio Symphony Orchestra has this music under its skin. The
recording is a little muffled and distant when compared to the
Chandos version however, and the Symphonic Variations
sometimes sound a little heavy as a result. Piotr Paleczny is
a fine soloist in the Piano Concerto, but unless budget
is a consideration the lack of detail in the sound discounts
this version. More recent releases will provide sterner competition,
such as Leif Ove Andsnes’s Shadows
of Silence album which I unfortunately don’t have to hand.
The last of Lutoslawski’s concertante works, the Piano Concerto
is a marvel of quicksilver orchestral colour and conversational
interaction between soloist and instruments which often appear
in chamber-music contexts, but in music which can expand into
the most romantic sounding and large-scale of gestures. Louis
Lortie’s elegant touch is perfect for this piece, capable of
stunning power but also reflecting the spirit of Rachmaninov
and other greats in his feel for Lutoslawski’s personal but
tradition-aware idiom. I love the balance in this Chandos recording,
which makes the piano present and full, but placed in relation
rather than in opposition to the orchestra. This width and depth
of sonic effect makes for an extremely satisfying listening
experience, and you can easily lose yourself in the piece’s
sprightly intricacies and sometimes overwhelming passages of
movingly expressive warmth.
The Variations on a Theme of Paganini was originally
written in 1941 for piano duet, and Lutoslawski used to play
this and other pieces with fellow composer Andrzej Panufnik,
scraping a living as café musicians during the war years. The
score was the only one of Lutoslawski’s to survive the Warsaw
Uprising in 1944, and the version for piano and orchestra was
made in 1978. Louis Lortie is witty and refined, and as a moment
of light relief between the concerto and symphony this is well
programmed. The Variations is a work of substance and
more than a mere filler, but the character of the piece is geared
more towards entertainment than experiment, and everyone responds
to the piece with breathtaking verve and a palpable sense of
fun in this recording.
The inspired Symphony No. 4 has appeared in excellent
recordings such as the ‘original’ version with Esa-Pekka Salonen
on Sony Classical (see review),
which should not be ignored. Comparing Gardner’s recording with
the NFM Wroclaw Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Jacek Kaspszyk
on CD Accord (see review),
and I’m torn between the sheer emotional impact of Kaspszyk’s
massed forces, and the more subtly affecting feeling generated
by Gardner’s quieter moments and instrumental solos. Hearing
Gardner and the BBC Symphony Orchestra has me discovering this
piece all over again and sensing things I hadn’t experienced
in other recordings. The opening for instance, is the most world-stoppingly
beautiful version I’ve ever heard. Kaspzyk is easier and more
natural in some details, such as the melting downward glissandi,
and while Gardner creates marvellous sounds the Wroclaw brass
remains unbeaten. Gardner generates more finessed intensity
at certain moments, but at the cost of the sheer physical impact
which Kaspszyk shows us the music can have. His winds wail and
cry with chilling character, and the strings have a bite and
intensity which always brings tears to my eyes. Gardner is also
tremendous, but the rawness and sense of connection which generates
such emotional turmoil in me with that other recording isn’t
quite there with the BBC SO.
With a spectacularly good Chandos 5.0 SACD recording and the
usual high production and presentation values this is a release
which followers of Gardner’s Lutoslawski series and fans of
good 20th century music should snap up without hesitation.
You certainly won’t find anything lacking in any of the performances,
and in all cases they occupy the top drawer when it comes to
all and any of these pieces. My preference in the Symphony
No. 4 for Jacek Kaspszyk takes nothing away from Gardner’s
BBC SO achievement. If I hadn’t already encountered the earlier
release I would be giving Chandos an AAA+ rating instead of
merely AAA, but if this one work is something for which you
have a special passion then I would urge you to seek out and
own CD Accord ACD 161-2. The world is big enough for both.
Dominy Clements
Louis Lortie (piano)*
[67:25] 