Witold Lutosławski Little Suite

Witold Lutosławski Little Suite (Mala suita)

Fife (Allegretto)
Hurrah Polka (Vivace)
Son (Andante)
Dance (Allegro molto)

Lutosławski’s Little Suite, with its infectious energy and folk-inspired themes, was one of the most frequently performed works in 1950s Poland, and its melodies are drawn the town of Machowa, an hour’s drive east of Kraków, and 30 minutes from Slovakia.

In the first movement, the strings emerge from under the infectiously cheery piccolo melody, delivering punchy rhythms, a reference to the Rite of Spring, still as yet to receive its Polish premiere in the 1950s! The second movement is a polka, with a humorously unsettled meter. The third, Song, passes its melody between instruments in a charming way. The final dance includes music for a regional dance and a popular song.

Witold Lutosławski
Born: January 25, 1913, Warsaw, Poland
Died: February 7, 1994, Warsaw, Poland