Lutoslawski: Symphony No. 3 / Paganini Variations

These pieces run the full length of Witold Lutoslawki's career. The Paganini Variations are based on the same theme that both Brahms and Rachmaninoff used in their Paganini variations (so did Boris Blacher and about a million other composers, including Paganini himself--it's a great tune). The Third Symphony was commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and first performed by them under Sir Georg Solti. As with many of the composer's larger works, it falls naturally into two parts, an introduction and a main movement. The essence of the music is simple: nothing happens until the end, when the orchestra at last achieves an unbroken melody. The other two pieces are both song cycles that show the composer's sensitivity in setting words. The performances are very good indeed, and texts with translations are included. --David Hurwitz