Most of the music that the piano duet of Panufnik and Lutosławski played in Warsaw cafes (keeping Polish culture alive) during World War II is lost, but one piece has survived – Lutosławski’s Variations on a Theme of Paganini.
Facing stout competition from the likes of Brahms and Rachmaninoff, this little set of variations – the whole pieces lasts just about five minutes! – has managed not only to survive but flourish in both its two piano and solo piano with orchestra versions:
Lutosławski – Paganini Variations
Like his near contemporary, compatriot and piano duet partner, Panufnik, Lutosławski’s First Symphony (1948) was banned as ‘formalist’ when the Polish authorities espoused Stalinist ‘social realism’:
Allegro giusto – 0:00
Poco adagio – 5:30
Allegretto misterioso – 15:22
Allegro vivace – 19:55
The composer’s first international success came in 1954 with his Concerto for Orchestra.
It was fashionable at the time to write virtuoso pieces for the entire orchestra – with woodwind, brass, percussion and strings all having a chance to demonstrate their skills. Commissioned for the post-war reconstitution of the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Lutosławski’s is no exception:
Lutosławski – Concerto for Orchestra
0:00 Intrada
7:50 Capriccio notturno e arioso
13:30 Passacaglia, toccata e corale
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