— Do you like to dream?
— I can't stand it.
— But surely you have some dreams?
— Very mundane ones. To have a soundproof studio.
Witold Lutosławski in conversation with Jadwiga Radomińska, "Kulisy" 1959, No. 50
I once said to his wife, "Danusia, show me Witold’s studio." After all, she had organized it, as she was a would-be architect with great drawing skills and a knack for interior design. When Witold was busy talking to someone, she took me upstairs, and I saw something remarkable: the studio was the epitome of elegance and an incredible economy of resources. Everything was neat, almost like a Japanese interior—walls, floor, ceiling, desk, piano. Papers were neatly stored away. It was striking, especially compared to the typical chaotic studios I know.
Ryszard Kapuściński in conversation with Grzegorz Michalski
in: Grzegorz Michalski, Lutosławski w pamięci, Gdańsk 2007
He had one trait that everyone should envy: his work ethic. I mean his compositional craftsmanship, as well as in everything else he did. He was so precise and organized, with immense life energy and hard work, achieving remarkable results. He never acted hastily. He approached every task meticulously, never repeating the same thing twice. His compositional method was systematic, with all notes gathered, selected, and written down. This characteristic became more pronounced over time, leading to a pedantic attention to detail, but always with freshness in his work.
Marcin Bogusławski in conversation with Grzegorz Michalski
in: Grzegorz Michalski, Lutosławski w pamięci, Gdańsk 2007
Yesterday, I visited Witold and Danuta Lutosławski at their new home on Śmiała 39 in Żoliborz, a house they bought and arranged themselves. It's the first home like this in Poland that I've seen in the last thirty years. We spoke about my situation and his views. Later, I convinced him to play me a recording of his Livre pour orchestre, which I greatly admired. The lyrical, almost Debussy-like beginning, the rhythmic structure of the last movement, and the clear organization of the score impressed me.
Zygmunt Mycielski, Dziennik 1960–1969, entry from April 6, 1969
