At the very beginning of 2023, I announced the launch of a multi-album project by the German label cpo to record the complete orchestral works of Polish composer Grażyna Bacewicz. On that occasion I wrote about the first release, a performance of the third and fourth symphonies performed by the WDR Symphony Orchestra Cologne under the baton of Łukasz Borowicz. On that occasion I provided a hyperlink to the Amazon.com Web page, but recent browsing revealed that Presto Music was a more reliable source for keeping up with subsequent releases.
Cover of the most recent of the cpo releases (from the Presto Music Web page)
As a result, I can now account for the first three cpo releases. The first from 2003, the second from February of 2004, and the third from the following September. The selections include the four symphonies, composed between 1945 and 1953, as well as the earlier (1943) “Overture,” the more recent “Variations for orchestra” (1957), and the three-movement “Musica sinfonica” (1965). When I wrote about the first of the cpo releases, I was particularly drawn to the composer’s bold approach to instrumentation. That approach is equally evident in the following two releases, even through most of the tracks involve music composed before the two symphonies in the first release, the last two of the four.
Ironically, the BBC has initiated a similar project for the same repertoire. As of this writing, their releases have not yet caught up to those of cpo. Nevertheless, I look forward to pursuing a compare-and-contrast account as soon as my busy schedule allows! (I continue to maintain the conviction that one can only begin to really appreciate an orchestral composition after it has been interpreted by more than one conductor!)
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