Concerto for Orchestra

Quick Facts

• Written between 1950-54; premiered in 1954
• Three movements
• Dedicated to conductor Witold Rowicki, who conducted the premiere of the work
  • Rowicki had written to Lutosławski in 1950 asking for a piece for his newly formed Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
• *A concerto for orchestra means that various sections of the orchestra act as “soloist” at times within the piece

About the Piece

• Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra makes copious use of Polish folk melodies but in an unexpected way. The composer used them as material for themes, bass lines, counterpoints, and captivating orchestral textures. In doing this, Lutosławski is adhering to the “social realism” dictated by the Soviet government while simultaneously experimenting with modernism and the composer’s own musical tastes.
• All of the folk melodies used in Concerto for Orchestra are drawn from Masovia, the region around Warsaw.¹
• Concerto for Orchestra established Lutosławski’s reputation as the leading Polish composer of his generation.²

1. Steven Stucky, “Concerto for Orchestra,” L. A. Phil, accessed February 16, 2024, https://www.laphil.com/musicdb/pieces/1351/concerto-for-orchestra.
2. Charles Bodman Rae, “Lutosławski, Witold,” Grove Music Online (2001) accessed 16 Feb. 2024, https://www.oxfordmusiconline.com/grovemusic/view/10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.001.0001/omo-9781561592630-e-0000017226.