Witold Lutosławski was one of the major European composers of the 20th century, and possibly the most significant Polish composer since Chopin. Lutosławski studied piano and composition in Warsaw, and during World War II he made a living in that city by playing the piano in bars. In the late 1940s and early 1950s his music was banned as formalist by the Stalinist authorities. In the last three decades of the century he became the pre-eminent musician of his country, and was presented with a large number of international honours, awards and prizes. Lutosławski's early compositions were overtly influenced by Polish folk music; from the late 1950s onwards he developed his own characteristically dense harmonies and innovative aleatory techniques. His works include four symphonies and a Concerto for Orchestra; he also composed concertos and song cycles for renowned musicians including Mstislav Rostropovich, Peter Pears, and Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. He was also a notable conductor of his own music.

Read the rest of this article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Witold_Lutos%C5%3Fawski

_______________________________ Today's selected anniversaries:

1789: John Carroll, S.J., was appointed Bishop of Baltimore, the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Carroll)

1860: Abraham Lincoln became the first Republican candidate to win the U.S. presidential election. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._presidential_election%2C_1860)

1962: The United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 1761, condemning South Africa's apartheid policies.

(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_South_Africa_in_the_apartheid_era)

1963: Duong Van Minh officially took over the government of South Vietnam a few days after the assassination of President Ngo Dinh Diem. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Duong_Van_Minh)

1999: Although opinion polls had clearly suggested that the majority of the electorate favoured republicanism, the Australian republic referendum was defeated. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1999_Australian_republic_referendum)

_____________________ Wikiquote of the day:

"An eye for an eye will only make the whole world blind." -- Mohandas Gandhi (http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Mohandas_Gandhi)