Dobrowolski, Andrzej - Trio For Oboe Clarinet and Bassoon

Andrzej Dobrowolski’s work is extremely varied, comprising symphonic, chamber and electronic compositions. In the electronic strand, particularly noteworthy is Muzyka na taśmę magnetofonową nr 1 (‘Music for Magnetic Tape no. 1’), the performance of which at the Warsaw Autumn festival in 1962 and 1963 was an important event for Polish music and a watershed in the composer’s output. In the wake of its first performance, electronic music became a characteristic element of Dobrowolski’s style. He was also interested in harmony, as evidenced by the publication, in 1967, of Metodyka nauczania harmonii w szkołach muzycznych II stopnia (‘A method of teaching harmony in secondary schools of music’). The Trio for oboe, clarinet and bassoon was written before Music for Magnetic Tape no. 1, in 1956. In stylistic terms, this composition adheres to the Polish neoclassical current of the 1930s and 40s, represented by such composers as Wojciech Kilar, Grażyna Bacewicz and Witold Lutosławski. The Trio is in three movements of contrasting tempo: Allegro vivo, Adagio and Vivo. What distinguishes this work is the approach to expression and harmony, reflecting the composer’s interest in those aspects of composition. Dobrowolski uses the whole chromatic scale and avoids distinct tonal centralisations, while at the same time obtaining intriguing chordal sonorities, a light, but not shallow expression and an elegant sound that is suited to the character of each movement.