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Grażyna Bacewicz’s Violin Concerto No. 3 was composed in 1948 and premiered on 4 March 1949 in Gdańsk, with the composer as soloist and the Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Stefan Śledziński. Lasting about 20–21 minutes, the concerto is cast in the traditional three movements: Allegro molto moderato, Andante, and Vivo. It belongs to the exceptionally productive period immediately after the Second World War, during which Bacewicz established herself as one of Poland’s leading composers.

The concerto combines a clear three-movement design with a musical language that is both energetic and highly individual. Its melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic material draws on the folk music of Poland’s Podhale region, while preserving the formal discipline and contrapuntal clarity that are characteristic of Bacewicz’s mature style. The influence of Karol Szymanowski, whose First Violin Concerto Bacewicz frequently performed as a violinist, is also reflected in the work’s synthesis of virtuosity and folkloric elements.

Written for her own use as a soloist, the concerto is idiomatic and technically demanding without becoming merely a display piece. The orchestra participates as an active partner throughout, engaging in a continuous dialogue with the solo violin. The result is a concerto of rhythmic vitality, structural clarity, and expressive breadth that occupies an important place in Bacewicz’s cycle of seven violin concertos.