Raua needmine [The curse of iron] is an extremely original and surprising piece composed in 1972 by Estonian composer Veljo Tormis, based on fragments of texts taken from the Kalevala epic and contemporary Estonian poets. It is, as the composer explains, ‘a passionate cry against the destructive power of iron, both in Estonian mythology and in modern warfare’. The simple melodic structure, distinctive rhythm and powerful sound of the shamanic drum allowed Tormis to forge a work with poignant expression and an important message.

The Symphony No. 4, from 1932, is one of the most important works in the oeuvre of Karol Szymanowski, in which his musical language, having previously gone through various phases of aesthetic inspiration, attains a certain stability and restraint. A connection with the then dominant trend of neoclassicism may be indicated by the genre of the symphonie concertante, where the piano part does not dominate the orchestra in the overall plan of the work. Yet despite the outward connections with neoclassicism, Szymanowski expresses himself here in a subtle, airy voice, which requires lyrical and emotional sensitivity from the listener.

The music for the ballet The Rite of Spring, written in 1913 by the then 31-year-old Igor Stravinsky for the Ballets Russes, proved to be not only the most important achievement in the composer’s entire oeuvre, but also a milestone in the history of twentieth-century music. This revolutionary work, which was received with understandable outrage at its famous Paris premiere, quickly gained recognition, and its composer acquired a reputation as a visionary of new music. It is important to emphasise not only the subversive content and aesthetics of this work, which introduces the theme of pagan brutality and its unbridled elemental force into high art, but also the compositional mastery it displays: the richness of technical means and the precision of the language.

Robert Losiak



Karol Szymanowski’s Symphony No. 4 (‘Sinfonia concertante’), Op. 60 is published by PWM Edition.