Esa-Pekka Salonen

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com essential recording
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) went through many changes in his career, but it was always in the service of his own style--which is, in the end, indescribable. This is an excellent disc that details some of the later transformations in Lutoslawski's thinking. The Symphony 4 (1992), which opens the disc, really highlights the composer's gift for melody, despite his atonal characterizations elsewhere. The work, while moving and dramatic, is extremely intense. Symphony 3 (1972-83) mixes tempos and interrupts moods constantly. Les Espaces du sommeil (1975) is a mixture of the concrete and abstract that creates an eerie, dreamlike scenario. This is one of Lutoslawski's masterpieces. --Paul Cook

Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil - John Shirley-Quirk / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Esa-Pekka Salonen, Music, Witold Lutoslawski, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Los Angeles Philharmonic, John Shirley-Quirk, 20th/21st Century Symphony, Classical, Classical Composers, Classical Music, Solo Voice(s) and Orchestra, Symphonic, Vocal

Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil - John Shirley-Quirk / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Esa-Pekka Salonen
Average customer rating:

Two masterpieces and a solid late work

Salonen's Third is better than the conductor's own version

Shhhhh... Be Quiet. Snooze fest.

Music for our time...and for all time

One of Lutoslawski's very best

Witold Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4 / Les Espaces du Sommeil - John Shirley-Quirk / Los Angeles Philharmonic / Esa-Pekka Salonen
Witold Lutoslawski , Esa-Pekka Salonen , Los Angeles Philharmonic , and John Shirley-Quirk
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

All Works by Lutoslawski | Lutoslawski, Witold | ( L ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music
Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Classical | Styles | Music
General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music
Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
Similar Items:

György Ligeti Edition 1: String Quartets and Duets - Arditti String Quartet

Witold Lutoslawski: String Quartet (1964) - Kronos Quartet

The Ligeti Project II: Lontano / Atmosphères / Apparitions / San Francisco Polyphony / Concert Românesc - Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra / Jonathan Nott

Symphony 6: At the End of the Day / Terrains Vague

Virgil Thomson: Symphony No 1-3

ASIN: B000002AQ0
Release Date: 1994-10-04

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4
Les Espaces du sommeil
Symphony No. 3

Amazon.com essential recording

Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994) went through many changes in his career, but it was always in the service of his own style--which is, in the end, indescribable. This is an excellent disc that details some of the later transformations in Lutoslawski's thinking. The Symphony 4 (1992), which opens the disc, really highlights the composer's gift for melody, despite his atonal characterizations elsewhere. The work, while moving and dramatic, is extremely intense. Symphony 3 (1972-83) mixes tempos and interrupts moods constantly. Les Espaces du sommeil (1975) is a mixture of the concrete and abstract that creates an eerie, dreamlike scenario. This is one of Lutoslawski's masterpieces. --Paul Cook

Customer Reviews:

Two masterpieces and a solid late work.......2006-06-19

This Sony disc containing three works by Witold Lutoslawski is already something of a legend. It contains three world premiere recordings of some of his grandest pieces, interpreted by the L.A. Philharmonic and its acclaimed conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, with John Shirley-Quirk as baritone solo in the middle work.

"Symphony No. 3" (1983) was commissioned in the early 1970s by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but appeared only a decade later after several false starts. It lies in between two clearly defined eras of the composer's work, containing both the aleatorism of the 1960s and 1970s and hints of the return to accessibility of his late neoclassical phase. Nonetheless, each of these two tendencies is blunted so that they exist in great harmony, forming a piece that is quite different from his other works though unmistakably Lutoslawski. The score is precisely notated--there are no "wavy lines" here, but the element of chance is provided by a large series of "ad libitum" sections which are unconducted. I've always had a hard time hearing an overall form for this piece, which starts from a series of hammering E notes and then wanders off. The composer claims that it's got four sections, but I have a hard time hearing it. However, that does not mean that the Third is boring. The frustration of not being able to speak of the structure of the symphony makes it harder for me to communicate to readers here just how great it is. It might be a somewhat formless blog, but it is beautiful, and in the end when this formlessness suddenly takes on a very directed form towards a quasi-romantic finale and ends on the same hammering E's., it's stunning.

"Les Espaces du Sommeil" for baritone and orchestra (1975) is a magisterial setting of Robert Desnos' poem about how in sleep we enter an irrational world of rich possibilities. While initially drifting, uncertain, lost, the music comes to a crashing climax. This is less immediately accesible than either of the other two pieces here, but slowly reveals its charms, and now I think it is my favourite piece for baritone out of all such compositions in the 20th century.

"Symphony No. 4" (1992) was written towards the end of Lutoslawski's career, some time after he had exchanged the rich avant-gardism of his middle period for a much more restrained style. Aleatorism still plays a role (but quite diminished), but the harmonies are more conventional and there is a more lyrical touch. I'm not too happy with this symphony, it certainly pales next to the Second and Third, but the brighter side of things is that it's not as dull as most of Lutoslawski's late work.

The major competition is from Naxos, which has the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit. Both Salonen and Wit do equally well, and there's little to complain about in terms of performance. What this Sony disc has going for it are are excellent liner notes, containing not only the usual description of the works and the sung text, but also Salonen's personal reminiscing of what Lutoslawski's music means to him. Since the Third is often seen as Lutoslawski's masterpiece, this disc would make a great introduction to his art, and its an economical purchase. I should mention, though, that if you like the Third, the very next disc you should buy is the Naxos release with his "Chain 3", very similar in sound.

Salonen's Third is better than the conductor's own version.......2005-06-04

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, 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, with more substance and drama than the Third, clearly a better work, though less ambitious. 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.

Shhhhh... Be Quiet. Snooze fest........2003-11-27

It's obvious that a lot of work and a lot of fine craftsmanship went into these symphonies. On top of that, they were very well performed on this CD. However, that doesn't change the fact that every work on this disc is as dry as a bone. Les Espaces du Sommeil is aptly titled; it puts me to sleep. The symphonies are much better, but where's the feeling? Where's the plot?

Music for our time...and for all time.......2002-08-22

Witold Lutoslawski is by now assured a repertoire staple, in many ways thanks to the commitment of Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Of the many giants of 20th Century music few were as introspective and compelled to discover a mode of expressing the psyche as Lutoslawski. My first introduction to his work was in the 1970s, listening to the rehearsals and subsequent performance of his 'Concerto for Orchestra' and it was love at first sound. Yet hearing how this quiet giant grew in his orchestrating techniques, his exploration of sound clouds and finding exquisite melody in a format of linear atonal composition all culminating in his 4th Symphony is no less than astonishing.

This disc captures the heart of the composer, with Salonen and his radiant orchestra presenting performances that are clean, rich, fully textured and eloquent. Coupling the 3rd and 4th symphonies with the 'Les Espaces du Sommeil'("Realm of Sleep" by Robert Desnos who died in a concentration camp shortly after the end of WWII) as interpreted by John Shirley-Quirk is very fine programming. This disc is destined to be an important part of every complete classical recording library.

One of Lutoslawski's very best.......2002-07-15

In short: Lot's of power, lot's of strength; music that suits Salonen and the LA Phil the very best. The fourth is Lutoslawski's very best!

Don't look anywhere else, you have found the summit!

Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4; Les Espaces Du Sommeil
Average customer rating:

Two masterpieces and a solid late work

Lutoslawski: Symphonies Nos. 3 & 4; Les Espaces Du Sommeil
Salonen , and Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Classical | Styles | Music
Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B0000665W7
Release Date: 2002-11-04

Tracks:

Symphony No. 4
Les Espaces Du Sommeil
Symphony No. 3

Album Details

Grand Repertoire Series.

Customer Reviews:

Two masterpieces and a solid late work.......2006-06-19

This Sony disc containing three works by Witold Lutoslawski is already something of a legend. It contains three world premiere recordings of some of his grandest pieces, interpreted by the L.A. Philharmonic and its acclaimed conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen, with John Shirley-Quirk as baritone solo in the middle work. It should be mentioned that this version is what appears to be a European reissue, and is import-priced. The original recording is available domestically in the US and is a more economic purchase.

"Symphony No. 3" (1983) was commissioned in the early 1970s by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, but appeared only a decade later after several false starts. It lies in between two clearly defined eras of the composer's work, containing both the aleatorism of the 1960s and 1970s and hints of the return to accessibility of his late neoclassical phase. Nonetheless, each of these two tendencies is blunted so that they exist in great harmony, forming a piece that is quite different from his other works though unmistakably Lutoslawski. The score is precisely notated--there are no "wavy lines" here, but the element of chance is provided by a large series of "ad libitum" sections which are unconducted. I've always had a hard time hearing an overall form for this piece, which starts from a series of hammering E notes and then wanders off. The composer claims that it's got four sections, but I have a hard time hearing it. However, that does not mean that the Third is boring. The frustration of not being able to speak of the structure of the symphony makes it harder for me to communicate to readers here just how great it is. It might be a somewhat formless blog, but it is beautiful, and in the end when this formlessness suddenly takes on a very directed form towards a quasi-romantic finale and ends on the same hammering E's., it's stunning.

"Les Espaces du Sommeil" for baritone and orchestra (1975) is a magisterial setting of Robert Desnos' poem about how in sleep we enter an irrational world of rich possibilities. While initially drifting, uncertain, lost, the music comes to a crashing climax. This is less immediately accesible than either of the other two pieces here, but slowly reveals its charms, and now I think it is my favourite piece for baritone out of all such compositions in the 20th century.

"Symphony No. 4" (1992) was written towards the end of Lutoslawski's career, some time after he had exchanged the rich avant-gardism of his middle period for a much more restrained style. Aleatorism still plays a role (but quite diminished), but the harmonies are more conventional and there is a more lyrical touch. I'm not too happy with this symphony, it certainly pales next to the Second and Third, but the brighter side of things is that it's not as dull as most of Lutoslawski's late work.

The major competition is from Naxos, which has the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Antoni Wit. Both Salonen and Wit do equally well, and there's little to complain about in terms of performance. What this Sony disc has going for it are are excellent liner notes, containing not only the usual description of the works and the sung text, but also Salonen's personal reminiscing of what Lutoslawski's music means to him. Since the Third is often seen as Lutoslawski's masterpiece, this disc would make a great introduction to his art, and its an economical purchase. I should mention, though, that if you like the Third, the very next disc you should buy is the Naxos release with his "Chain 3", very similar in sound.

Music Review:

Music Review

music review

Music Review

Last Supper [Limited Edition] [Import]

Camille Saint-Saens: Trios Op. 18 & Op. 92

Cage: Freeman Etudes, Books One & Two (Complete Music for Violin, Disc One)

Ultimate Kylie [Import] [Limited Edition]

Deep Season: Autumn 01 [Import]

Deep Sleep - Delta Waves

Double [Import]

Filmmusik

Day on the Green Live [Import]

Cantorial Concert Masterpieces

D. Forma [Import]

Chile [Import]

Bella Mujer

Vagn Holmboe: Symphony No. 6, Op. 43 (1947) / Symphony No. 7, in one movement, Op. 50 (1950) - Owain Arwel Hughes

Rush