Witold Lutosławski was the greatest Polish composer of the late (perhaps even of the whole) 20th century, and one of the leading artists of musical contemporaneousness on the global scale. A classic and, at the same time, avant-gardist, master of large and small form, defender of music’s independence from other arts, as well as from extra-musical reality, he was an exemplary artist who is never fully satisfied with himself, and who develops his art all his life. Finally, he was a great authority at home and elsewhere: not only musical, but also moral and intellectual.

Tadeusz Kaczyński

Besides Chopin and Szymanowski, Lutosławski is considered the greatest Polish composer. Born in Warsaw in 1913, at the age of fifteen he moved to Drozdowo. Began learning to play the piano at the age of six, and composed his first piece, "Preludium" [Prelude] at nine. Graduated from Warsaw Conservatory, where he studied piano with J. Lefeld and composition with W. Maliszewski. Between 1931 and 1933, he also studied mathematics at Warsaw University. Member of the board of International Society for Contemporary Music (1959-1965), between 1965 and 1969 its Deputy Chairman.
Active member of several academies of art, honorary member of Związek Kompozytorów Polskich [Polish Composers’ Union], he held honorary doctorates from universities in Warsaw, Toruń, Chicago, Glasgow, Cambridge, Durham, and Cracow, as well as from Cleveland Institute of Music. Taught at Tanglewood, summer school of music in Darlington, music schools in Essen, Copenhagen, and Stockholm. In 1993, for his 80th birthday, he received Polar Music Prize, and was awarded Kyoto Prize. Considered one of the greatest 20th century composers throughout the world.
Lutosławski’s early work was influenced by Neoclassicism and folk music. At the turn of the 1950s and 60s, he referred to avant-garde techniques, incl. sonorism and aleatorism, which he applied, however, in a rather restricted manner, as the so-called “limited aleatorism”. In the 1970s, he elaborated a unique synthesis of contemporary musical language based on complex procedures of twelve-tone material. It was, however, full of fantasy and refinement, as well as contained a strong dramatic element, which was always executed in a logical form. In the 1980s, he turned to simpler textures and Neo-Classicist harmonies of rhythms and melodies.
Although creator of vocal-instrumental forms, he was advocate of music’s autonomy. His most important compositions include: four symphonies, Łańcuch I [Chain 1], Łańcuch II [Chain 2] and Łańcuch III [Chain 3], Partita na skrzypce i orkiestrę [Partita for Violin and Orchestra], Koncert na wiolonczelę i orkiestrę [Concerto for Cello and Orchestra], Koncert fortepianowy "for Krystian Zimerman” [Piano Concerto “for Krystian Zimerman“].