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28 May 2021 MOZART OUR CONTEMPORARY

Poznan Philharmonic would like to invite you to AMU Concert Hall on Friday, 4th of June at 7 pm, for another concert from the cycle ”Mozart Our Contemporary”, this time entitled ”Joke and Exuberance”. The evening will be filled with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The concert will be opened by the well-known and liked Overture to ”The Marriage of Figaro”. The short piece evolves in a stunning presto, which can never be too fast, as Mozart himself used to say. Curiously enough, this exuberant work doesn’t use any opera excerpts – it’s an autonomous piece which perfectly introduces into the mood of the opera.

Four horn concertos written by Mozart in the years of 1782-1786 currently form a basic repertoire for that instrument. Suffice it to say that in the recent years forty percent of all horn recordings are Mozart concertos.

Mozart composed all of them for his friend, horn player Ignaz Leutgeb, member of the court chapel in Salzburg and a distinguished soloist. The friendship between Leutgeb and the Mozart family is underlined by the fact that the big cheese factory he opened after his relocation to Vienna could be established thanks to a generous loan made by Leopold Mozart, Wolfgang’s father.

Although the manuscripts of the concertos show various epithets added by the composer and addressed to Leutgeb, they were more the effect of the exceptionally close ties of friendship between the composer and the horn player than the willingness to tease the instrumentalist. Maybe the fact that the Horn Concerto No. 4 was written alternately in black, red, blue and green ink was an expression of a specific joke?

Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV 550, is completely different in character from other Mozart’s works. It’s one of two Mozart symphonies written in minor (first one, also in g minor, has number 25). The composer completed it in two months, in the summer of 1788. That year he also wrote two other symphonies: in E-flat major (KV 543) and C major (KV 551) – all three of them were the last ones to be composed. It is not known whether Symphony No. 40, also known as ”Great”, was performed during the author’s lifetime. He was not in the greatest shape while writing it. In a letter to his wife he wrote: ‘if people could look inside my heart, I would be embarrassed. I feel as if everything around me is cold as ice.’ From all Mozart’s works this one till today has been most frequently subject to countless analyses and interpretations.

Friday, 4th of June 2021, 7 pm, AMU Concert Hall

MOZART OUR CONTEMPORARY
JOKE AND EXUBERANCE

PERFORMERS:

Marcin CHRZANOWSKI – horn
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor, host
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
Overture to “The Marriage of Figaro”
Horn Concerto No. 4 in E-Flat Major, KV 495
Symphony No. 40 in G minor, KV 550

Season tickets: DL | SG | MW

Tickets: price A

25 May 2021 MOZART AND THE NIGHTINGALES

Well-known and cheerful works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart will fill both evenings of the two editions of the 488th Poznan Concert. They will be performed in AMU Concert Hall by the Poznan Nightingales, a galaxy of soloists and Maciej Bolewski on the organ, under the baton of Maciej Wieloch, on Friday, 28th of May at 7 pm and on Saturday, 29th of May at 6 pm.

“Sancta Maria, mater Dei”, a piece written by Mozart at the age of 21 in 1777, shortly before he left Salzburg, to celebrate the Nativity of Virgin Mary falling on the 8th of September, will open both evenings.

Following work is short, yet unusually emotionally rich “Laudate Dominum” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore”, and next “Te Deum”, presumably written at the end of 1769 in Salzburg. As it was modelled on “Te Deum” by Michael Haydn (brother of Joseph Haydn), composed 9 years before, for a time there were doubts whether Mozart was really the author. It wasn’t until the discovery of the voice parts of “Te Deum” in the archives of Salzburg Cathedral that all the doubts were dispelled.

The concerts will end with “Ave verum corpus” and Coronation Mass in C major – one of the most frequently performed Mozart’s sacred works. The Mass, written for the coronation celebrations of the miraculous painting of Virgin Mary in the pilgrimage church Maria Plein near Salzburg, is a dense and great sounding piece.

Friday, 28th of May 2021, 7 pm, AMU Concert Hall
Saturday, 29th of May 2021, 6 pm, AMU Concert Hall

488. POZNAN CONCERT
MOZART AND THE NIGHTINGALES

PERFORMERS:

Monika MYCH – soprano
Małgorzata WOLTMANN-ŻEBROWSKA – alto / mezzosoprano
Damian ŻEBROWSKI – tenor
Andrzej OGÓRKIEWICZ – bass
Maciej BOLEWSKI – organ
Boys’ and Men’s Choir of the Poznan Philharmonic The Poznan Nightingales
Maciej WIELOCH – conductor

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
“Sancta Maria, mater Dei” KV 273
“Laudate Dominum” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
“Te Deum” KV 141 / 66b
“Ave verum corpus” KV 618
“Coronation Mass” in C major KV 317

Season tickets:
KP 1 (28.05)
KP 2 (29.05)

18 May 2021 LATEST ALBUM OF POZNAN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA

The latest album of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, “Kashchey the Deathless” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov released by DUX label, can now be purchased in good music stores.

Unknown in Poland one-act opera “Kashchey the Deathless” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov was recorded in the concert version during the 22nd Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival in Warsaw (as part of the cycle “Unknown Operas by Well-Known Composers”) by Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, Poznan Chamber Choir (prepared by Bartosz Michałowski) and the soloists of the Mariinsky Academy of Young Opera Singers in Petersburg (Savva Khastaev [Kashchey / tenor], Antonina Vesenina [Tsarevna / soprano], Irina Shishkova [Daughter of Kashchey / mezzosoprano], Yaroslav Petryanik [Prince Ivan – Korolevich / baritone], Mikhail Kolelishvili [Storm-Bogatyr / bass]). The piece was led by Łukasz Borowicz.

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s work is a fairy-tale opera about an evil kingdom of Kashchey, which to the people of that time seemed to be a metaphor of tsarism. Suffice it to say that its premiere performance in Moscow in 1902 incited a riot with participation of a revolutionary crowd. The effect was unintended by the composer, though it pleased his progressive heart.

The opera received a subtitle “A Little Autumn Fairy Tale”, which indicates an analogy with “The Snow Maiden” – a spring fairy tale, but clearly suggests different emotions, since the story is rather somber. Its action takes place in the kingdom of Kashchey – a repulsive old man who kidnapped and imprisoned in his palace beautiful Tsarevna, who dreams about her beloved Prince Ivan. It’s not only the old man who is standing in the way of their happiness, but also his evil daughter. After successive twists and turns, as it often happens in fairy tales, everything ends well – the wicked old man dies, the daughter of Kashchey turns into a weeping willow and the gloomy kingdom becomes a land of sun and happiness.

17 May 2021 TE DEUM

“Te Deum” – that’s the title of the nearest concert of the Poznan Philharmonic to which the music lovers are invited next Friday on the 21st of May at 7 pm in AMU Concert Hall. The title isn’t random, as two works entitled “Te Deum” – first by Karol Kurpiński (coming from Włoszakowice in Greater Poland), second by Joseph Haydn – will dominate the Friday evening.

The premiere of “Te Deum” by Karol Kurpiński was held on the 24th of May 1829 in St. John’s Cathedral in Warsaw during the celebrations related to the enthronement of Tsar Nicholas I as the King of Poland. It was one of the three works (besides “Veni Creator” by Carlo Soliva and “Festive Mass” by Józef Elsner) written especially for the occasion. All three compositions were assigned to the authors and they, not keen to write for such an occasion, are said to have… drawn lots which work each of them would compose. That’s what Łukasz Borowicz writes in the concert program of the next concert: ‘Despite complicated times and circumstances a work was born which presents the best features of Kurpiński’s mature style. His operatic experience is visible virtually in every movement, the lyrical clarinet solo is reminiscent of operas by Donizetti, while an impressive violin solo was probably influenced by Niccolo Paganini who also performed in Warsaw in connection with the coronation of Nicholas I.

Joseph Haydn’s “Te Deum”, which originated in the 1790s, is also filled with a wealthy content, and the presence of a short, yet gorgeous piece by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the evening’s program is not casual: his music was one of the most important inspirations for Karol Kurpiński.

PERFORMERS:

Magdalena STEFANIAK – soprano
Katarzyna BELKIUS – soprano
Dominika STEFAŃSKA – mezzosoprano
Mykhailo KUSHLYK – tenor
Piotr MACIEJOWSKI – tenor
Paweł HORODYSKI – bass
Polish Chamber Choir Schola Cantorum Gedanensis
Jan Łukaszewski – choirmaster
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Joseph Haydn, “Te Deum for the Empress Maria Theresa” Hob.XXIIIc:2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Laudate Dominum omnes gentes” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
Karol Kurpiński, “Te Deum”

Season tickets: (21.05) DL | SG | MW

Tickets: (21.05) price A

Financed by the Ministry of Culture, National Heritage and Sport from the Fund for the Promotion of Culture obtained from the surcharges laid down in State gambling by Article 80 (1) of the Law on Games of Chance of 19 November 2009 under the “Music” programme carried out by the Institite of Music and Dance

12 May 2021 Philharmonic open to the public from the 21st of May

In relation to the earlier opening of the philharmonic to the public – from the 21st of May 2021 (before the initially announced 29th of May) below we present the May concert schedule.

INTERNET CONCERT

Friday, 14th of May 2021, 7 pm

STARS OF WORLD STAGES
MOZART OUR CONTEMPORARY

PERFORMERS:

Jan LISIECKI – piano
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, KV 482
Krzysztof Meyer, “Symphony in Mozart Style”

Partner:

***

CONCERTS WITH AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION

Friday, 21st of May 2021, 7 pm, Poznań, AMU Concert Hall
Saturday, 22nd of May 2021, 7 pm, Gdańsk, St. John’s Centre, GDANSK MUSIC FESTIVAL
Sunday, 23rd of May 2021, 5.30 pm, Pelplin, Cathedral Basilica of the Assumption

TE DEUM

PERFORMERS:

PROGRAM:

Joseph Haydn, “Te Deum for the Empress Maria Theresa” Hob.XXIIIc:2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Laudate Dominum omnes gentes” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
Karol Kurpiński, “Te Deum”

Season tickets: (21.05) DL | SG | MW
Tickets: (21.05) price A

***

Friday, 28th of May 2021, 7 pm, AMU Concert Hall

488. POZNAN CONCERT
MOZART AND THE NIGHTINGALES

PERFORMERS:

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
“Sancta Maria, mater Dei” KV 273
“Laudate Dominum” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
“Te Deum” KV 141 / 66b
“Ave verum corpus” KV 618
“Coronation Mass” in C major KV 317

Season tickets: KP 1

***

Saturday, 29th of May 2021, 11 am, AMU Concert Hall

CLOSING OF THE 53. SEASON OF PRO SINFONIKA
MUSIC OF BIG CITIES
MOSCOW

PERFORMERS:

Jakub Krawczyk – marimba
Marcin Suszycki – artistic direction
Chamber String Orchestra of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music
Marlena Gnatowicz – host
Tomasz Ilmer – host

PROGRAM:

Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Serenade in C major, Op. 48
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, “Flight of the Bumblebee” from the opera “The Tale of Tsar Sultan” (transcription for solo marimba: Pius Cheung)
Sergei Rachmaninoff, “Vocalise” (transcription for solo marimbę: Pius Cheung)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, “Swan Dance” from the ballet “Swan Lake” (transcription for solo marimba: Jakub Krawczyk)

Season tickets: PS
Tickets are available for purchase before the concert in the ticket office of the AMU Concert Hall

***

Saturday, 29th of May 2021, 6 pm, AMU Concert Hall

488. POZNAN CONCERT
MOZART AND THE NIGHTINGALES

PERFORMERS:

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
“Sancta Maria, mater Dei” KV 273
“Laudate Dominum” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
“Te Deum” KV 141 / 66b
“Ave verum corpus” KV 618
“Coronation Mass” in C major KV 317

Season tickets: KP 2

11 May 2021 THE FRENCH THRILLED BY BERGSON

We can jokingly say that Bergson turned up at… Bergson square. Last year’s album of the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra “Michał Bergson. Concerto symphonique pour piano avec orchestre op. 62 / Music from the opera Luisa di Monfort” was honoured with the title Trophées Radio Classique by the French Radio Classique based at… Henri Bergson square in Paris, the square bearing the name of the Literary Nobel Prize winner, son of a Polish composer, Michał Bergson.

The Poznan album found itself among the most interesting discs that the prestigious Radio Classique distinguished in May – the best of the albums presented each week and honoured by Trophées Radio Classique are acknowledged by special awards in ten categories during the annual gala. The choice is composed of the jury made up of the heads of the most important music institutes in France.

In the review of the album of the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra released by DUX Jérémie Bigorie presents to the French music lovers the figure of Michał Bergson, pianist and composer. He compares him to such characters as Frédéric Chopin or Franz Liszt, who also found their artistic fulfillment in Paris, “the capital of the 19th century”. He also underlines that he was the father of the Nobel Laureate, philosopher Henri Bergson.

The author pays particular attention to the main work on the album: Concerto symphonique pour piano avec orchestre op. 62, the manuscript of which Jonathan Plowright discovered in the London antique shop and was purchased by the Poznan Philharmonic.

He describes it as a brilliant piece of music, faithful to the ternary form and referring to Chopin. He mentions Plowright’s virtuosity and marvels at the artist’s ability to cope with the toughest elements of the score. ‘The work simply revives under the fingers of that pianist’, the critic points out.

Jérémie Bigorie also draws attention to the aria for clarinet from the opera “Luisa di Monfort”, which lets Jakub Drygas shine. He writes about the aria “Il Ritorno” performed by Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk that Bellini and Donizetti could have put their names on it.

According to the reviewer, the conductor, Łukasz Borowicz, got the best out of the musicians. And for this reason Radio Classique couldn’t miss such a fine record discovery.

10 May 2021 STARS OF WORLD STAGES. MOZART OUR CONTEMPORARY

Jan Lisiecki, a prominent Canadian pianist with Polish roots (and a connection with Poznan) will be the main performer of the next Poznan Philharmonic’s Internet Concert held as part of the Stars of World Stages cycle on the 14th of May at 7 pm. The event was entitled “Mozart Our Contemporary”, as in the course of the concert we will listen to one of Mozart’s works, as well as a contemporary piece written… in Mozart style.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart composed his Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major KV 482 in Vienna, which he called, in a letter to his father, the land of the piano. In that city he thrived as a pianist-composer and created piano concertos for him as the soloist. He wrote to his sister in 1781: “If all goes well, I will be as cherished here as a composer, as I am now as a pianist”.

He began to compose the Concerto in E-flat major in November 1785, while simultaneously working on “The Marriage of Figaro”. He completed it on the 16th of December and the same evening he performed it… between the acts of the “Ester” Oratorio by Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf! This used to be the reality. The work was presented autonomously on the 23rd of December 1785 and was very well received. It has been found in the notes of Leopold Mozart, father of Amadeus, that the listeners back then were particularly captivated by the second movement of the Concerto and that they regularly called for an encore.

After Mozart – “Symphony in Mozart Style” by Krzysztof Meyer – a unique example of a pastiche of Mozart style revealing how well the composer is able to handle various styles and techniques. The audience truly has an impression of listening to a work from the 18th century and no wonder. Poznan music lovers who sat in the audience of the AMU Concert Hall on the 1st of April 1977 were entirely sure that the piece was written by Mozart. Only the conductor Renard Czajkowski was aware of that April Fools’ Day joke (the concert even had a subheading: “April Fools’ Day”). Everybody else (even the musicians!) didn’t know the truth until it was revealed after the premiere performance. Could they fall for it? Listen and assess yourself… And if a housemate, intrigued by the music, asks: ‘It’s Mozart, isn’t it?” – confirm…

PERFORMERS:

Jan LISIECKI – piano
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, KV 482
Allegro
Andante
Allegro
Krzysztof Meyer, “Symphony in Mozart Style”
Adagio – Allegro
Andante con moto
Tempo di minuetto
Allegro

Partner:

28 April 2021 CONCERTS IN MAY. FIND OUT THE DETAILS

According to the government’s decision to open the philharmonic to the audience on the 29th of May, we would like to inform you that until that time the concerts of the Poznan Philharmonic will be broadcast via Internet.

You can find more details about the concerts on our website and the Facebook profile.

The ticket office of the Poznan Philharmonic is closed until the 28th of May 2021.

CONCERTS OF POZNAN PHILHARMONIC (AS AT 28.04.2021):

Friday, 14th of May 2021, 7 pm

STARS OF WORLD STAGES
MOZART OUR CONTEMPORARY
INTERNET CONCERT

PERFORMERS:

Jan LISIECKI – piano
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Piano Concerto No. 22 in E-flat major, KV 482
Krzysztof Meyer, “Symphony in Mozart Style”

Partner:

***

Saturday, 22nd of May 2021, 7 pm

GDANSK MUSIC FESTIVAL
TE DEUM
INTERNET CONCERT

PERFORMERS:

PROGRAM:

Joseph Haydn, “Te Deum for the Empress Maria Theresa” Hob.XXIIIc:2
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, “Laudate Dominum omnes gentes” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
Karol Kurpiński, “Te Deum”

***

Friday, 28th of May 2021, 7 pm

BEETHOVEN OUR CONTEMPORARY
STARS OF WORLD STAGES
INTERNET CONCERT

PERFORMERS:

Paul McCREESH – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 7 in A major, Op. 92

***

Saturday, 29th of May 2021, 11 am, AMU Concert Hall

CLOSING OF THE 53. SEASON OF PRO SINFONIKA
MUSIC OF BIG CITIES
MOSCOW

PERFORMERS:

Jakub Krawczyk – marimba
Marcin Suszycki – artistic direction
Chamber String Orchestra of the Ignacy Jan Paderewski Academy of Music
Marlena Gnatowicz – host
Tomasz Ilmer – host

PROGRAM:

Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Serenade in C major, Op. 48
Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, “Flight of the Bumblebee” from the opera “The Tale of Tsar Sultan” (transcription for solo marimba: Pius Cheung)
Sergei Rachmaninoff, “Vocalise” (transcription for solo marimbę: Pius Cheung)
Pyotr Tchaikovsky, “Swan Dance” from the ballet “Swan Lake” (transcription for solo marimba: Jakub Krawczyk)

Season tickets: PS
Tickets are available for purchase before the concert in the ticket office of the AMU Concert Hall

***

Sunday, 30th of May 2021, 12 pm, AMU Concert Hall
Sunday, 30th of May 2021, 6 pm, AMU Concert Hall

488. POZNAN CONCERT
MOZART AND THE NIGHTINGALES

PERFORMERS:

PROGRAM:

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
“Sancta Maria, mater Dei” KV 273
“Laudate Dominum” from “Vesperae solennes de confessore” KV 339
“Te Deum” KV 141 / 66b
“Ave verum corpus” KV 618
“Coronation Mass” in C major KV 317

Season tickets:

KP 1 (12 pm)
KP 2 (6 pm)

19 April 2021 BEETHOVEN OUR CONTEMPORARY. IN A SPRING MOOD. INTERNET CONCERT

Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major by Ludwig van Beethoven will be played at the next Internet Concert on Friday, the 23rd of April at 7 pm, with the German pianist Martin Stadtfeld at the piano and the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Łukasz Borowicz.

Piano Concerto No. 4 had its premiere during a private concert in the palace of Prince Joseph Franz Lobkowitz, in March 1807. A wide audience listened to it on the 22nd of December 1808 in Theater an der Wien at the composer evening of the Master from Bonn. Unfortunately after that event it had been… forgotten for many years (until Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdy presented it to the world once again in 1836). That is hardly surprising, as on the December evening in Vienna, besides the Concerto, also two Symphonies (Nos. 5 and 6), Choral Fantasy in C minor, extracts from the Mass in C major, Op. 86, piano improvisations and the concert aria “Ah! Perfido – Per pietà” were performed as well. The whole concert was about four hours long!

Piano Concerto No. 4 was written in the years of 1805-1806 and is considered to be the first of Ludwig van Beethoven’s concertos presenting the composer’s unique style. It was untypical at the time it originated: the work starts with a piano part, which is a solo instrument, and not with the orchestra – that didn’t actually happen so far. The Concerto is called “Lark” because of the brilliant musical ornaments which gives the soloist the opportunity to shine. Is there a better concert recommendation for the spring we are all looking forward to?

And for dessert – Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Second from the three sonatas from Opus 2, dedicated to Joseph Haydn by young Beethoven. It was written in 1796, in the early period of the composer’s work.

PERFORMERS:

Martin STADTFELD – piano
Łukasz BOROWICZ – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58
Allegro moderato
Andante con moto
Rondo. Vivace
Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 2 in A major, Op. 2 (2nd movement – Largo appasionato)

Honorary Patronage

Project co-funded by Polish-German Cooperation Fund

14 April 2021 The Last Parisian? Internet Concert

The Last Parisian? – that’s the title of the next Internet Concert, to which we invite you on the 16th of April at 7 pm. The event features the music of Joseph Haydn, the oldest composer of the Viennese School, also known as the father of the new orchestra, and Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra led by Tadeusz Wojciechowski.

During the evening the subsequent of the six Paris Symphonies cycle (Nos. 82-87) by Joseph Haydn will be performed. They were all commissioned by the Paris Music Society, Le Concert de la Loge Olympique, supported by the great patron of the arts Claude-François-Marie Rigoley, Count d’Ogny. They all met with an enthusiastic reception and reinforced the composer’s fame in France and abroad.

Symphony in A Major is marked with No. 87 and according to the current numbering system it is the last of the Haydn’s Paris symphonies. However, as it occurs in the history of music, the opus numbers doesn’t always equate with the time of its origin. Thus Symphony No. 87 was composed in 1785 as the… first, not the last of the Paris cycle.

Musicologists believe, that the Paris Symphonies formed Haydn’s way to symphonic championship. In these symphonies his style is already developed, and the composer discards the pompous and empty theatrical tone, in its simplicity getting closer to the grateful, sometimes naive folk music sound.

PERFORMERS:

Tadeusz WOJCIECHOWSKI – conductor
Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra

PROGRAM:

Joseph Haydn, Symphony in A Major, No. 87
Vivace
Adagio
Menuet
Finale: Vivace