Though there have certainly been other fine recordings of the orchestral works of
Witold Lutoslawski -- one thinks first, of course, of
Esa-Pekka Salonen's gripping performances with the Los Angeles Philharmonic -- it would be difficult to dispute the definitive stature of these performances with the composer himself leading the Polish Radio National Symphony Orchestra. Recorded for EMI in 1976 and 1977, these performances have not only the insight and understanding that a composer naturally lends to accounts of his own music, but also the assurance and confidence of a conductor who knows what he wants and how to achieve it, plus the sympathy and enthusiasm of an orchestra that knows the music and respects the conductor. These performances have the drive, balance, color, and poetry the music requires and the commitment it demands. Indeed, one's only regret is that these three discs do not contain more of
Lutoslawski conducting
Lutoslawski. But since the Polish composer's interpretations of his later works are represented on discs released on other labels, listeners who want more will easily be able to find it. Taped in stereo in Poland, the sound here is surprisingly clean and direct, if not especially present.