Philharmonia Orchestra: Lutoslawski Centenary 1

Continuing the Lutosławski anniversary celebrations Esa-Pekka Salonen conducts the Concerto for Orchestra and Cello Concerto alongside Debussy's La Mer.

Our Lutosławski centenary celebrations continue with two major works of crucial importance. The virtuoso fast-reflexes of the Concerto for Orchestra form a blazing climax to his early period and mark a new fascination with Bartók and the musical potential of indigenous folksong, while the glorious Cello Concerto (1970), commissioned originally by the Royal Philharmonic Society, which is celebrating its 200th anniversary this year, was composed during a time of great political unrest in Poland.

Debussy's principal aim in La Mer was 'to create a mysterious harmony between nature and the imagination', something that clearly had a vital impact on Lutosławski's own creative thinking.