Witold Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto

Lutoslawski's Cello Concerto (1969-70) is one of the most significant examples of the concerto in the twentieth century, aided in its prominence by its association with its dedicatee, Mstislav Rostropovich. Rostropovich requested the concerto after meeting Lutoslawski on a concert tour in Poland. It was commissioned in 1968 by the Royal Philharmonic Society, and Rostropovich gave the premiere at London's Royal Festival Hall in October 1970. It remains one of the most performed post-war concertos.The Cello Concerto was Lutoslawski's first contribution to the concerto genre. Adrian Thomas examines Lutoslawski's works leading up to the Cello Concerto and his unique development of twelve-note chording, and his orchestration and structural processes. Through interviews and through his correspondence with Rostropovich, Lutoslawski's own view of the concerto is examined. The work is then given a formal analysis which shows how Lutoslawski's compositional techniques serve his expressive ends to an unusually intimate degree.

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