Warsaw | Special Concert to Mark the 120th Anniversary of the Warsaw Philharmonic

The concert marking the 120th anniversary of the Warsaw Philharmonic, whose inaugural concert on 5 November 1901 was led by Emil Młynarski and featured Ignacy Jan Paderewski as soloist, will be devoted entirely to Polish music. On 5 November 2021 the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir will perofrm under the batons of three superb conductors each of whom has headed this institution for the past two decades: Antoni Wit, Jacek Kaspszyk and Andrzej Boreyko.

Although included as the Third in the cycle of his symphonies, Karol Szymanowski’s Song of the Night is a phenomenon that stands apart from any convention – both in terms of genre and in relation to the forms and timbral arrangements of many works written at that time. One of its author’s most original works is at the same time one of the most important achievements of Polish music at that time.

Thanks to the choice of title Witold Lutosławski’s Concerto for Orchestra in a way enters into a polemic with the very assumption of the genre, namely a confrontation between soloist and orchestra. And yet, the concerto is a reference to the early form of the “ensemble concerto”, in which all the musicians of an orchestra displayed the same level of quasi-soloistic virtuosity. Effervescent, colourful and perfect in its structure, the work gained lasting recognition from music lovers and conductors alike.

The audience will also witness the world premiere of Cantata to Happiness composed especially for the jubilee season by Jan A.P. Kaczmarek – the author of musical scores for over seventy films and numerous theatre plays, and a 2005 Oscar winner for his soundtrack to the film Dreamer. He has also written a great many symphonic pieces, including oratorios, commemorating the most important events of contemporary history. The programme will be complemented by Agnus Dei from Krzysztof Penderecki's Polish Requiem.

More information: http://filharmonia.pl/en/