Fiona Maddocks 

Lutoslawski: Orchestral Works III – review

A poised performance by Paul Watkins in the Polish composer's Cello Concerto forms the centrepiece of an excellent disc, writes Fiona Maddocks
  
  


Lutoslawski's music fell off the concert map after his death in 1994. With next year's centenary of his birth, it's suddenly back and worth discovering. Edward Gardner and the BBC Symphony started early with their Chandos series. The centrepiece in this third disc is the Cello Concerto, dedicated to Rostropovich and played with dazzling poise by Paul Watkins. It has a British provenance, commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and premiered in London in 1970. Delicate cello motifs, often pizzicato or hushed, contrast with trumpet snarls and woodwind eruptions culminating in a wild finale. The orchestra and Gardner, experts in the Polish composer's repertoire, shine alone in the Symphony No 2 and Mala Suite. Try some.

 

Leave a Comment

Required fields are marked *

*

*