Mi-parti is an orchestral work by the Polish composer Witold Lutosławski, composed from 1975 to 1976 on a commission from the City of Amsterdam for the Concertgebouw Orchestra. The name broadly means in two equal but different parts, referring to the treatment of the material rather than the large-scale structure of the piece.
The first performance took place on 22 October 1976 in Rotterdam, with the composer conducting the Concertgebouw Orchestra.
Instrumentation The work calls for a large orchestra: woodwind: 3 flutes (all doubling piccolo), 3 oboes, 3 clarinets (3rd doubling bass clarinet), 3 bassoons brass: 3 trumpets in C, 4 horns, 3 trombones, 1 tuba percussion: timpani, 3 percussionists (bells, marimba, xylophone, glockenspiel, tam-tams, cymbals, vibraphone without motor) celesta, harp, piano and strings (8 first violins, 7 second violins, 6 violas, 6 cellos and 4 basses).
Recordings OrchestraConductorRecord CompanyYear of RecordingFormatPolish Radio National Symphony OrchestraWitold LutosławskiEMI Classics1976CDBBC Philharmonic OrchestraYan Pascal TortelierChandos1996CDPolish Radio National Symphony OrchestraAntoni WitNaxos Records1998CDWarsaw Philharmonic OrchestraAntoni WitCD Accord2004CD
Awards: for EMI recording: International Critics’ Award, 1979; Deutsche Schallplattenpreis 1977 for the piece: State Prize, 1st grade 1978
References