Avant Garde Project torrent 168 is up and running

[loudav]

AGP168 is a transcription of a lovely recording of Witold Lutoslawski's Preludes and Fugue for 13 Solo Strings, performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, conducted by the composer. This recording was released on LP in 1977 on the Aurora label (AUR 5059) and does not appear ever to have been released on CD. The recording was made by Polskie Nagrania in Warsaw.

Check it out at:

http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/5358526

Enjoy!

[Maciek]

If it hasn't been released on CD, how come I have it?

Ha!

It was released on CD in 1989 by Polskie Nagrania on volume 4 (PNCD 043) of their 6 volume Witold Lutosławski series (PNCD 040-045, I think one or two are still in print! but definitely not no. 4). The volume also contains a recording of Mi-Parti (PRNSO/the composer) and Novelette (Junge Deutsche Philharmonie/Heinz Holliger).

FWIW, I think most of the recordings in that Polskie Nagrania series have been re-released in the recent Brilliant Classics box set.

(BTW, great to know that this, one of Lutosławski's finest pieces IMO, will be available on AGP!)

[loudav]

Hey, Maciek! I thought you might enjoy this installment. So if I understand you correctly, it was released but is now out-of-print?

Also, I neglected to say that this is a 24-bit, 48 kHz transcription that came out very nicely with virtually no surface noise or tracking distortion, so I would argue it's actually nicer than the CD for people who can use 24-bit digital files.

I too think it's one of his most amazing works.

[greg]

Just finished listening. Good stuff! Thanks! 

[mahler10th]

Well Loudav, the very mention of Lutoslawski has my grey matter bouncing and stretching in an unacceptably excited fashion, and thank you very much for it.  Going to get it now...

[Maciek]

Hey, Maciek! I thought you might enjoy this installment. So if I understand you correctly, it was released but is now out-of-print?

Precisely!

[Maciek]

Wait! I might be wrong. The Polskie Nagrania disc is definitely out of print. BUT according to the Brilliant site (which, unfortunately, does not give all the details) their 3CD Witold Lutoslawski box contains "recordings, directed by the composer in 1976/7". And CD no. 2 appears to include a recording of Preludes and Fugue. The one I have was recorded in 1974 - but that's close enough, I suppose (someone could have made a mistake). It could be the same recording, I don't know. My Polskie Nagrania CD lists the performing ensemble as "The National Chamber Orchestra in Warsaw". Presto list it as "Polish Chamber Orchestra". Hm...? The Polish Chamber Orchestra (led by Jerzy Maksymiuk) was a rather famous ensemble in its time, not just in Poland, and it was not the same thing as the chamber ensemble of the Warsaw Philharmonic/National Philharmonic in Warsaw. So these could be two different recordings. And then again, the way Polish ensembles are nicknamed in English translations (think of the radio orchestra in Katowice!), there's really no way of telling whether these two are not one and the same - not without doing a side-by-side comparison of the recordings at least. Someone at Brilliant could have offhandedly renamed the Warsaw Philharmonic ensemble as "Polish Chamber Orchestra"...?

This is all pretty confusing...

Anyway, you can always say your recording is not by the Polish Chamber Orchestra.

[Maciek]

If anyone is interested:

The Polish Chamber Orchestra was initially founded as the orchestra of the Warsaw Chamber Opera, but the ensemble quickly gained independence (in the mid-1970s). In 1984 Yehudi Menuhin became its artistic director, the ensemble was expanded into a full symphony orchestra and renamed Sinfonia Varsovia (the current artistic director is Marc Minkowski).