Lutoslawski, Witold

▪ 1995

      Polish composer and conductor (b. Jan. 25, 1913, Warsaw, then in the Russian Empire—d. Feb. 7, 1994, Warsaw, Poland), attempted to create a "new musical language" by incorporating elements of folk songs, 12-tone serialism, atonal counterpoint, and controlled improvisations reminiscent of aleatory (chance) compositions while retaining elements of harmony and melodic form. Lutoslawski started composing as a child, but he did not begin formal training until age 15. He studied mathematics at the University of Warsaw and received diplomas in piano (1936) and composition (1937) from the Warsaw Conservatory. During the Nazi occupation of Poland, he performed in clandestine concerts and, with fellow composer Andrzej Panufnik, played piano duets in cafés; these often included proscribed music. Lutoslawski's prewar compositions (most notably the 1938 Symphonic Variations) were primarily conventional neoclassical pieces, often infused with traditional folk tunes. When his Symphony No. 1 (begun in 1941) had its premiere in 1948, however, the new communist government denounced the piece as "formalist" and banned Lutoslawski's increasingly avant-garde works from public performance. He earned a living writing children's songs and scores for motion pictures until these restrictions were eased in the mid-1950s. Although Lutoslawski wrote some vocal and chamber music, he was best known for his orchestral compositions, including Concerto for Orchestra (1954), Funeral Music (1958), Venetian Games (1961), Concerto for Piano and Orchestra (1988), and four symphonies, the last of which had its world premiere in 1993.

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