Tadeusz Baird (1928-81) was undeniably an important figure in the development of contemporary Polish music. His early music toed the official state line with its neo-classical, conservative style, and indeed his First Symphony (which was awarded a Polish National Prize in 1951), and works such as his Piano Concerto and Colas Breugnon Suite, brought him considerable success both in his own country and abroad. He is also remembered for his involvement in setting up the first Warsaw Autumn Festival of contemporary music in 1956, at which point his dramatic change of style led him to be regarded, along with Lutoslawski and Penderecki, as one of the leading figures in Polish avant-garde music.
Having said that, the works presented here do little to arouse my curiosity or interest in exploring his music further. Psychodrama seems to me little more than a series of angst-ridden episodic sections, bereft of any logical form or objective. Stylistically it falls into Baird's advanced, intensely expressionistic period (it dates from 1972), as does his opera Jutro (''Tomorrow'') written six years earlier. The latter is based on the Joseph Conrad story of the same name; a cheery little number concerning disillusionment, loneliness, rape, greed and hopelessness. Any appreciation of which (musically or dramatically) is obscured by the lack of a libretto, particularly as the music reflects an integral part of the text dealing with the development of the character's subconcious. Musically the style is a mixture of post-serial melodic episodes, Penderecki-like blocks of sonority and colouristic splashes of sound (mainly percussive), which at times create some genuinely impressive moments—notably the opening and closing pages of the opera. But on the whole the erratic nature of the music precludes any fruitful or sustained development of ideas.
Strictly for Tadeusz Baird enthusiasts, and those who wish to leave no stone unturned in the history and development of Polish contemporary music.'