The album is a recording of a concert (8 March 2002) with which Antoni Wit began his management of the National Philharmonic. The programme included pieces by Lutosławski, Meyer and Penderecki. This is the first release of Concerto grosso composed by Penderecki in 2000 and it is likely to inspire the most interest. This composition for three cellos and orchestra juxtaposes the elements of an instrumental concert with symphonic impetuosity. Seriousness and tragedy clash here with the grotesque. The work stands out against the recent European output as one with a superb dramatic action, richness of moods, and depth of expression. It will also sound friendly to those allergic to avant-garde experiments. Antoni Wit shows full control of the score while conducting his orchestra with real verve. But then he has excellent partners – the cellists Ivan Monighetti, Adam Klocek and Kazimierz Koślacz. The first part of the album consists of two works. Lutosławski’s subtle and mysterious Mi-parti for orchestra is regarded by many as a masterpiece. And Krzysztof Meyer in his Mass for a mixed choir and orchestra tries to set a liturgical Latin text to music. The sound and the atmosphere are deliberately austere and the choir of the Philharmonic has proved equal to the task. Bartosz Kamiński. Gazeta Wyborcza, 27 Sept. 2002

CDAccord · ACD096-Penderecki, Lutosławski, Meyer