Tadeusz Baird (1928-81) was one of the outstanding composers of the Polish school, which includes Witold Lutoslawski and Krzysztof Penderecki. He charted his own musical course, only partially embracing the serial method and rejecting the aleatoric techniques championed by Lutoslawski. Instead, he created a style that was as personal as it was uncompromising. It's interesting to note that all of the works on this disc begin in extreme quiet, so much so that at times I wondered if my CD player had cued up correctly. The music has an overall grayish cast, though this is sometimes brightened by virtuoso part-writing and orchestration.

Pyschodrama for Orchestra contains some well-constructed flourishes, while Canzona for Orchestra's dramatic central section is especially gripping (in an angry sort of way). Baird is quite fond of the concerto form, and employs the solo instrument as a protagonist against the swirling chaos and bleak desolation surrounding it. This occasionally has the effect of adding a welcome humanizing element to Baird's otherwise rather alienated sound world. Rainer Schmidt contributes a strongly characterized reading of the viola part in Concerto lugubre. No less convincing are Anne Leek in the Oboe Concerto and Helga and Klaus Storck in the Scenes for Cello, Harp, and Orchestra. Both orchestras--the Staatsphilharmonie Rheinland-Pfalz, conducted by Peter Gülke (in Pyschodrama and the Oboe Concerto), and the Philharmonie de Lorraine, under Jacques Houtmann in the remaining works--have been scrupulously prepared and deliver performances that match the music's needs. The recordings are quite boxy but well balanced. A real ear-stretcher for those up to the challenge.

--Victor Carr Jr.