Partita | Witold Lutosławski - Wise Music Classical

Chester Music is the publisher of this work in all territories except Poland, Albania, Bulgaria, China, countries of the former Czechoslovakia, Cuba, North Korea, Vietnam, Romania, Hungary and the whole territory of the former USSR, where the copyright is held by Polskie Wydawnictwo Muzyczne (PWM).

Orchestration
2(2pic)02(bcl)2(cbn)/0220/timp.perc/hp.pf obbl.cel/str
Soloistsviolin
Duration15 min

CategorySoloists and Orchestra

Composer
Witold Lutosławski

Performances
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Programme Note

I composed Partita for violin and piano in the autumn of 1984 at the request of St Paul Chamber Orchestra for Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug.

The work consists for five movements. Of these the main movements are the first (allegro guisto), the third (largo) and the fifth (presto). The second and fourth are but short interludes to be played ad libitum. A short ad libitum section also appears before the end of the last movement.

The three major movements follow, rhythmically at least, the tradition of pre-classical (18th century) keyboard music. This, however, is no more than an allusion. Harmonically and melodically, Partita clearly belongs to the same group of recent compositions as Symphony No.3 and Chain 1.

Pinchas Zukerman and Marc Neikrug gave the first performance on 18 January 1985 at the Ordway Music Theatre, Saint Paul, Minnesota.

(The orchestral version (1988) was written for and dedicated to Anne-Sophie Mutter. She gave the first performance on 10 January 1990 in Munich with the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Lutoslawksi.)

© Witold Lutoslawski
November 1984

Scores

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Reviews

The High point is the flowing arioso of the central movement in which brass threaten but fail to impede the violinist’s lyrical flight. Extended triplets from the soloist compete with the stings’ staccato attacks in the vibrant finale.

Allan Ulrich, The San Francisco Examiner

7th March 1991