Lutoslawski’s Last Concert = Partita (violin & orchestra); Interlude; Chain1; Chain2; Chantefleurs et Chantefables – Fujiko Imajishi, violin/ Valdine Anderson, soprano/ New Music Concerts Ensemble/ Witold Lutoslawski – Naxos 8.572450, 75:38 ***1/2:
Lutoslawski was of course a well-known exponent of his own music, and conducted often with great success. This concert from Toronto in October of 1993 was the last appearance the composer made as a conductor of his own works.
Lutoslawski is often thrown in with the denizens of the avant-garde, but this is a vast oversimplification. In fact he rejected the Darmstadt school (Boulez, Stockhausen, et al) completely, and felt “very sad” about the direction they were taking. The composer himself had roots in folk music and the tonal application of melody, and his craft is born out of a need to examine and develop the full complex of western music with its intrinsic historical associations. We see this easily in compositions like the Partita, Interlude, and Chain2 for violin and orchestra, while Chain 1 inaugurated his concept of “strands” of music that neither begin nor end together, yet are linked by the fact of each strand giving birth to a new one, a sort of continuous development.
The surrealist poet Robert Desnos is responsible for the collection of rhymes that mirror nature in Chantefleurs et Chantefables, a nine-song cycle that exploits the lyrical aspects of the composer’s voice while exhibiting a most evocative and sensuous accompaniment. Valdine Anderson sings beautifully in these exquisite pieces.
I do think that the recording of Anne-Sophie Mutter on DGG has the edge over Fujiko Imajishi’s more muted and less imaginative violin work here, but this is still a creditable job and very worthwhile. All together a fine historical document of no little interest, with some fine performances to boot. The sound in this live concert is excellent.
— Steven Ritter
Brendel plays Liszt – Studio Recordings, 1955 – 1958 – Pristine Audio
Wagner, Verdi, Weber, Liszt… and Brendel!
