The third of Edward Gardner’s Lutoslawski discs for Chandos is a joy. Winningly performed and beautifully recorded, here are four works from various stages of the composer’s career, each subtly shedding light on the others. The symphony and the concerto are fascinating works. © 2012 Fanfare

The Paganini Variations are the highlight of the program for me, sparkling, splashing, blustering, and exploding. There is a wonderful part toward the end of I where it seems the very stars are weeping. III is almost like watching an ant colony from the queen’s window; Lutoslawski has a rare gift for portraying several scenes at once, and this symphony shows that off.

The third volume in Chandos’s welcome Lutosławski series brings a second helping of purely orchestral fare…a performance as vivacious and committed as this one, it comprises a veritable treat, for the music is personable, resourceful and witty, and scored with colourful assurance to boot.

…Variations on a Theme of Paganini [is] a dazzlingly inventive showpiece for two pianos…Louis Lortie makes quite a splash with it…

Throughout, Gardner secures some first-class playing from the BBC SO; Ralph Couzens’s engineering is, needless to say, state-of-the-art. Cordially recommended…. © 2012 Gramophone Read complete review on Gramophone