Aleksander Tansman composed his Variations sur un thème de Frescobaldi for symphony orchestra in 1937; a few years later, in view of the work’s great success, a string version was also produced. The work adheres to the composer’s distinctive neostylistic idiom, characterised by simplicity and clarity of language. The beautiful theme of the Baroque master Girolamo Frescobaldi is given a worthy setting in the form of a refined set of variations. It sounds gentle, dignified and melancholic at the same time, and this melancholy seems to stem not only from the shape of the theme's melody, but also from the hazy memories of a distant era which the work evokes.

Karol Szymanowski enjoyed writing for the violin, probably influenced by his friendship with the outstanding virtuoso Paweł Kochański, but above all perhaps by his extraordinary aural sensitivity. He could shape the sound of the violin into both airy oriental arabesques and the rough phrases of highland music. The Violin Concerto No. 2, written in 1933 and inspired by Kochański, refers to Szymanowski’s fascination with folklore. However, the highland colouring is not so vividly expressive here, but more restrained, suffused with lyricism and, in places, even melancholy.

The Concerto for Orchestra, from 1943, is one of the last and most important achievements in the oeuvre of Béla Bartók, an outstanding modernist of the twentieth century. As the title suggests, the work’s concept refers to the principle of an instrumental concerto, in which the composer entrusts solo episodes to individual instruments or groups, contrasting them with the sound of the entire orchestra. Despite the large ensemble, the composer rarely uses massive tutti; as a result, the work is transparent and clear in its structure, yet very diverse in its expression.
 

Robert Losiak