Woven Words, Lutoslawski Centenary, RCM

Part of the Philharmonia Orchestra’s Woven Words series celebrating the centenary of Lutosławski’s birth, this evening’s chamber programme brings together string quartets by some of the most significant musical voices of the twentieth century. Lutosławski’s own String Quartet, written in 1964, is one of the most significant examples of the compositional technique that he called “controlled aleatorism”, in which the rhythmic coordination of parts is subject to an element of chance. It is presented in this evening’s programme alongside quartets by his Polish compatriot Szymanowski, together with György Ligeti and Albert Roussel.