Grazyna Bacewicz (1909-1969): Overture for Orchestra
Witold Lutoslawski (1913-1994): Symphony No. 3
Karol Szymanowski (1882-1937): Symphonic Fantasy on 'King Roger' (arr. Iain Farrington)

This is a terrifically enjoyable record for anyone who enjoys 20th century music with a modernist (and Polish) bent. With excellently clear and dynamic recording, some fine playing and conducting, I have found it very easy to listen to and have happily listened multiple times over the past week or so. All three works represent a peak of the composers' compositional history and chart a fertile century for Polish classical composers.

There is something for everyone in 'modernist' listening group. The Bacewicz Overture for Orchestra is really a modernist 'lollipop', short, exciting and extremely listenable. This is followed by a post-tonal work, Lutoslawski's Symphony No. 3. This too is an orchestral spectacular and altogether a pretty stunning mixture of structure and emotion. The release concludes with the least modernist music by Szymanowski from his opera, King Roger. It is presented in a new arrangement by Ian Farrington for the current forces and first performed by them in February 2024. This is lusciously scored, abounding in late-Romantic richness.

I had recently reviewed several discs by Grazyna Bacewicz, including one that contained a performance of the Overture, conducted by Lukasz Borowicz from his complete recordings of that composer's orchestral music. Both that and the current performance do an excellent job of presenting a compelling account of the score. Sondergård starts off if anything slightly faster, and the scurrying string parts are impressively played and provide a great example of how the recording captures some of the thrilling instrumental timbres (strings, percussion, brass in particular), the balance being on the close side, which enables clarity in the musical lines. It's really an impressive work, with a simple three-part structure, fast-slow-fast, and I imagine it is a fun piece to play. It does an excellent job here of kicking off the overall concert, since the disc does feel like a complete concert. It is less post-tonal than some of her later works and is understandably one of her most frequently performed works.

When the Lutoslawski kicks off, we know we are in a different sound world. It is a one movement work, with a 4-note recurring motif reminiscent of the start of Beethoven's 5th symphony in rhythm if not in melodic flow. I was struck several times by how immediate the recorded sound felt, there are some impressive solos and powerful timpani strikes during the piece, the rich orchestration providing many wonderful examples of each section of the orchestra. Given the tumultuous years Lutoslawski lived through, and that it was composed during the rise of the Solidarity Union movement in Poland, it is tempting to read an extra-musical inspiration, the four hammer note motif possibly communicating the sense of fate or oppression felt by many Polish people during the era of Soviet hegemony. The composer rejected this, his own notes on the symphony being restricted to purely music description.

The Szymanowski provides a rich almost velvety ambiance for the final piece. The opera depicts a conflict between the spiritual and the sensual, and both elements get their time in this arrangement. At the start, the cellos, as so often in this recording, are recorded with great clarity and the piece resembles a late 19th century symphonic poem rising to several climaxes of great power. As the piece progresses, time passes very quickly, Szymanowski having a gift for entrancing sounds.

I was impressed by this recording, for the combination of works, the recording quality and the approach of orchestra and conductor. I expect to be listening to it for fun many times as this year proceeds. The accompanying notes provide an introduction to each work and composer, not the most detailed but useful nonetheless.