Don, I hope you won't judge your prospective enjoyment of Lutoslawki
by the First Symphony.  I'm not an expert on L, just an admirer, but the
First Symphony and the Concerto for Orchestra are not very characteristic
of him at all.  He was still pretty much digesting Bartok, hadn't really
found his voice.  On that disc with the First you might check out Jeux
Venitiens for a vague hint of his mature style, although still pretty raw
and transitional.  Symphony 3, the Cello concerto, and Les Espaces du
Sommeil, will all blow you away if you give 'em a chance.  Symphonies 2 and
4 are also great but don't instantly grab you by the throat in the same
way as 4.  Anyway, go for it-- Naxos has made it easy to steep oneself in
Lutoslawski.  Some days he's my favorite post WWII composer.  His music
makes me feel like I'm a little teeny guy hiking across the impasto surface
of a many-colored abstract expressionist painting.  Whoops.  I haven't had
my coffee yet, have I? Excuse me.

Jon Lewis
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