Symphony No. 1 (Lutosławski)

Polish composer Witold Lutosławski wrote his Symphony No. 1 in 1941–47, completing it in 1947.

Structure
The symphony, lasting 25 minutes, is in four movements. The first, Allegro giusto, is a sonata allegro. The second is marked Poco adagio, while the third (Allegretto misterioso) is a scherzo whose opening theme is based on a twelve-note tone-row. The final movement is marked Allegro vivace.

Instrumentation

 * Woodwinds
 * 2 piccolos
 * flute
 * 2 oboes
 * English horn
 * 3 clarinets, 2nd doubling on piccolo clarinet in E♭
 * 2 bassoons
 * contrabassoon


 * Brass
 * 4 horns in F
 * 3 trumpets in C
 * 3 trombones
 * tuba


 * Percussion
 * timpani
 * drum
 * cymbals
 * xylophone


 * Keyboards
 * piano


 * Strings
 * harp
 * violins I and II
 * violas
 * cellos
 * double basses

Analysis
"Witold Lutosławski: Symphony No. 1"

Orchestration

World Premiere
The Grand Symphony Orchestra of the Polish Radio (WOSPR) performed its world premiere (conducted by Grzegorz Fitelberg, to whom it was dedicated) in Katowice on April 1, 1948.