Born in 1909, Bacewicz was a child prodigy violinist. In 1935, she received an honourable mention at the 1st Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, and subsequently pursued an intensive concert career in Poland and abroad.
In 1955 she focused almost entirely on composing. Her output includes seven violin concertos, two cello concertos, seven string quartets, four symphonies, one opera, a ballet, and numerous chamber pieces. In recent years the music of Bacewicz has been enjoying an ever-increasing popularity in concert programmes and recordings.
Written in 1965, four years before the composer’s death, the Divertimento for strings is a short piece of an incredible rhythmic vitality.
The performance of Bacewicz’s work is made possible with funding from the Association of British Orchestra Trust’s Sirens programme, a ten-year initiative to support the promotion of music by historical women composers.
The programme of the concert also features Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with Maxim Vengerov as the soloist, and William Walton’s Symphony No. 1.
The Philharmonia Orchestra is conducted by Mark Wigglesworth.
(mk/tf)