Witold Lutosławski Photo: Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons
Lutoslawski composed Chain I in 1983. It was written at a stage in Lutosławski’s career where his ambition was to create a new music, fitting for the end of the twentieth century. It can be seen as his nostalgic farewell to twentieth-century modernism itself, as he moves forward with an increasing interest in postmodernist expression and aesthetics.
Lutoslawski wrote Chain I in what he calls ‘chain form’ where the music is divided into two strands and particular sections begin and end at different times.
Recorded 29 August 2018, City Gallery, Wellington by RNZ Concert
Producer/Engineer: Darryl Stack
