Concerto for String Orchestra

Quick Facts

• Written in 1948
• Premiered in 1950 with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Grzegorz Fitelberg
• Standard three-movement structure (fast-slow-fast)¹

About the Piece

• Fellow Polish composer Witold Lutosławski (amusingly) wrote of the piece:

“Concerto for Strings is probably the highlight of that ‘no-nonsense’ period in Grażyna’s oeuvre which encyclopedias simplistically refer to as ‘neoclassical.'”²

• The concerto demonstrates Bacewicz’s superb neoclassical/neo-baroque style, seamlessly blending tradition and modernity. In the same year as its premiere, the concerto would earn the composer a prestigious state award and was picked up by international orchestras soon after.
• Concerto for String Orchestra is one of the composer’s most popular and frequently performed works today.³

1. “Concerto for String Orchestra (Bacewicz, Grażyna),” IMSLP, accessed August 14, 2023, https://imslp.org/wiki/Concerto_for_String_Orchestra_(Bacewicz%2C_Gra%C5%BCyna).
2. “Works in Detail: Concerto for String Orchestra,” Grażyna Bacewicz, accessed August 14, 2023, https://bacewicz.polmic.pl/en/concerto-for-string-orchestra/.
3. “Concerto for String Orchestra – Grażyna Bacewicz,” Adam Mickiewicz Institute (2001), accessed August 14, 2023, https://culture.pl/en/work/concerto-for-string-orchestra-grazyna-bacewicz.