Concerto Grosso #4 In D

SKU: BT.PWM4901

Concerto for String Orchestra - the magnum opus of Grayna Bacewicz (1909-1969), the outstanding composer and violinist - was composed in 1948 and at once became one of the most frequently performed works of this Polish artist. This masterpieceof neoclassicism fascinates as much by its invention and virtuosic briliance as its harmonious combination of formal elements of a traditional nature with new tonal ideas. The form of the three-movement Concerto oscillates between that of the baroqueconcerto grosso and the early classical sonata cycle. The neoclassical tendency is evident, above all, in the articulation of the musical structure in keeping with the rigours of periodicity and the manner of developing thematic threads derived fromthem, while the concertato character of particular movements and the generally linear texture indicate baroque connections. The first movement (Allegro) - in the form of an early classical sonata allegro - begins with a subject with energeticfigurations, emblematic for the whole piece and based on a constant, pendulum-like semiquaver movement anchored securely on D. It is precisely because of the nature of this subject that Bacewiczs work has been compared to the Brandenburg Concertosby Jan Sebastian Bach The second movement (Andante), while retaining its concertato charakter, is, at the same time, an example of the composers ability to create emotionally serene lyrical moods, and her sense of cantilena derived from the spiritof romantic song (a motto-subject presented at the beginning by cello solo). In this movement it is both the process of evolution and the instrumental colouring which constitute the constructional agents forming here a self-containedvalue. In thethird movement (Vivo) the composer returns to her favourite type of music, understood as an expression of pure motion in the form of figural motives with infinite transformational possibilities. The spontaneity of the music, the constant mutabilityof the tonal situations, and the sophisticated, acerbic harmonies - as Witold Lutosawski described them - form a colourful mosaic built in the structural skeleton of a sonata rondo. Concerto for String Orchestra is not only proof of thestylizing tendency of the composer but also of an unerring intuition concerning the technical and expressive possibilities inherent in a string instruments ensemble. [Magorzata Gsiorowska, translated by Ewa Cholewka].

SKU: BT.DHP-0970945-020

9x12 inches.

This three-part suite is rich in dances and full of contrasting styles and dynamics. The title of the work is a pun on the term ‘concerto grosso’, a piece in parts for a group of solo instruments and orchestra. In Contrasto Grosso small groups in the band perform as soloists, interpreting contrasting renaissance style fragments.

Deze dansrijke suite bestaat uit drie delen die worden gekenmerkt door contrasten in stijl, dynamiek en instrumentatie. De titel van de compositie is een woordspeling op het concerto grosso, een meerdelig werk voor een groep solo-instrumentenen orkest. Ook in Contrasto Grosso treden kleinere groepen in het orkest solistisch op met contrasterende, renaissancistische tussenfragmenten.

Contrasto Grosso est une suite dansante en trois mouvements de caractères et de styles variés. Le titre de l’œuvre dérive du terme concerto grosso, une forme musicale dont la structure se caractérise par une instrumentation alternant les passages orchestraux en tutti et les passages instrumentaux joués par des groupes solistes. Le changement de couleurs sonores et la diversité des nuances obtenus par cette alternance donnent l’œuvre une expressivité très contrastée. Dans chacun des trois mouvements de cette œuvre, Jacob de Haan confie de petits groupes solistes l’interprétation de fragments écrits dans le style de la musique de laRenaissance et qui offrent ainsi un contraste saisissant avec les passages en tutti basés sur une écriture classique ou traditionnelle.