Witold Lutoslawski may undoubtedly be counted as one of the very greatest composers of the 20th century. His oeuvre is not particularly large but all the more impressive and the piano concerto occupies a prominent place in it. Lutoslawski composed it in 1987, it was commissioned by the Salzburg Festival and he dedicated it to Krystian Zimerman, who indeed premiered it there a year later, conducted by the composer himself.
It is a very lyrical, but also a very expressive composition that really nails you to your seat. Its four movements flow into each other like a chain, without interruption. Extremely impressive and unprecedentedly exciting, but also, and this is very important to me, the concerto is also very accessible to the inexperienced listener.
Music that flows together like a chain… No it’s not really anything new, certainly not for Lutoslawski. Back in 1986, he composed three works under the title Chain. One of them, Chain 2 for violin and orchestra was then performed so impressively by Anne-Sophie Mutter that the composer decided to rework his Partita for violin and piano (once composed for Pinchas Zuckerman) for her and dedicate it to her.
Chain III:
These are not new recordings, but who cares? The music is magnificent and the performances nothing short of phenomenal.
Basia con fuoco 