Bacewicz: Symphony for String Orchestra, Concerto

Grażyna Bacewicz played a leading role in bringing Polish music into the 20th-century mainstream and onto the international stage. Following in the footsteps of Szymanowski, her works convey a striking emotional directness by combining elements of native Polish folksong with an invigorating openness to the possibilities of modernism. The Symphony for String Orchestra reflects the lively optimism felt at the end of World War II, while the award-winning Concerto for String Orchestra is one of her most important post-war works. The intense and expressive First Piano Quintet is heard here in a new version for chamber orchestra by the conductor Mariusz Smolij.