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Everything he did, he did with a remarkable passion. As a scholar and an educator, as a rector or a minister, as a singer and a long-standing president of the Academic Choir of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan. On Tuesday (15th of March) we got a message that Prof. dr hab. Stefan Jurga died last night.
He was an unusual person in the Poznan scientific community. A physicist valued in numerous prestigious research and academic centers, tutor and mentor for a large group of scholars. For most of his professional life he held a variety responsible functions at ”his” university, the culmination being the AMU rector position in the years 1996-2002.
He loved science, but also… music, which had fascinated him since childhood. He used to say that if he hadn’t be-come a physicist, he would have done everything to become… a conductor. It was his unfulfilled dream, he added. He was a good friend of Poznan Philharmonic, a regular listener of our concerts, not only those held in Poznan or even in Poland. He was deeply interested in the functioning of our institution. Although he was proud of AMU Con-cert Hall, he was worried that Poznan Philharmonic had no residence on its own.
Your Magnificence, Professor, Dear Stefan, thank you for your kindness, friendship and for being our informal am-basador.
Wojciech Nentwig and Łukasz Borowicz along with the ensembles and staff of Poznan Philharmonic
At the next concert, on the 11th of March (7 pm, AMU Concert Hall), Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra will play for Ukraine.
The concert’s program features the works of Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Ro-bert Schumann. Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by a superb British conductor Paul McCreesh, and the soloist of the evening will be Marcin Suszycki (violin), concertmaster of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra.
Before and after the concert the Poznan Philharmonic along with Siepomaga Foundation will collect funds to help Ukraine. The donations can be only made by payment cards. We encou-rage everyone who is willing to take part in the fundraising to come.
She was a doctor by profession. Pediatrician. Medicine was her passion. Her life’s mission, ho-wever, after the death of her husband Ryszard Kapuściński – the most brilliant writer among repor-ters and the most brilliant reporter among writers, as they used to say of him – was to keep his memory alive. Alicja Kapuścińska supported various projects, took part in the events reminiscenting the output of the author of The Emperor, organized competitions for young journalists.
She was fond of music as well. As long as she was in good health, she was eager to come to our Philhar-monic concerts. When she found it difficult to travel, she did her best to come to the performances of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra held in Warsaw.
Her relationship with Poznan was special – she was the honorary member of the chapter of Ryszard Kapuściński Wielkopolska Prize, established during the writer’s lifetime. An unusual prize, granted not for literary or journalistic achievements, but for ”beneficence”.
Alicja Kapuścińska passed away on the 7th of March 2022. Last Friday, on the 4th of March, she turned 89.
The initial moment of the Friday concert (entitled Famous Ballets“) was special. Tacit standing audience and the Ukrainian hymn played by the Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, among which there are also musicians from Ukraine. Then silence… During these first minutes of the evening each of us had vivid mental images taking place beyond our Eastern border. Due to the Ukrainian tragedy we changed the concert’s program. Instead of the joyful Coppélia by Léo Delibes there were two Intermezzos from the operas by Pietro Mascagni (Cavalleria Rusticana) and Giacomo Puccini (Manon Lescaut).
Even the words that came from the stage were different from the ones we would have expec-ted at a concert not long ago. But as conductor Adam Banaszak said, that’s not the moment for colourful tales filled with anecdotes about works and composers, although he had prepa-red himself carefully for the concert in his home town. In lieu of them there was only music. Thanks to this music for a few tens of music we could find ourselves in the world of love, well-being and peace, as Adam Banaszak added.
At the moment of planning the current season’s program we were hoping this concert will carry good emotions associated with spring. Life has written a different scenario. In the face of the tra-gedy taking place beyond our Eastern border we would like to dedicate the Friday evening on the 11th of May to the fighting Ukraine. Let the music, filled with spring cheer, bring hope. Hope for defeating evil.
The program of the concert entitled Spring Serenade features the works of Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams and Robert Schumann. Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra will be led by the En-glish conductor Paul McCreesh and the evening’s soloist is Marcin Suszycki (violin), the concert-master of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra.
We invite you to the concert dedicated to the fighting Ukraine on Friday, the 11th of March, at 7 pm to AMU Concert Hall. We most warmly invite Ukrainians who are in Poznan, for whom we have prepared free entrance tickets. You can receive them in the ticket office of the Poznan Phil-harmonic located in AMU Concert Hall (Wieniawskiego Street 1) from Tuesday to Thursday from 1 pm to 5 pm, and on Fridays until 7 pm.
Before and after the concert the Poznan Philharmonic along with Siepomaga Foundation will collect funds to help Ukraine. The donations can be only made by payment cards. We encou-rage everyone who is willing to take part in the fundraising to come.
Due to the modification of pandemic restrictions from the 1st of March we would like to inform that from the 4th of March you can purchase entrance tickets (standing places) for the concerts of Poznan Philharmonic. The tickets (20 PLN) can be bought an hour before the concert in the ticket office of Poznan Philharmonic.
We would also like to remind that in AMU Concert Hall and during the concert it is mandatory to cover one’s mouth and nose.
THIS CONCERT WAS DIFFERENT FROM THE PREVIOUS ONES. On stage, by the orchestra, flags: Ukrainian and Polish. Before Łukasz Borowicz found himself in front of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra, Karolina Niementowska (Director of Communications of the Poznan International Fair Trade Group), as the Friday concert was the 136th Poznan Internatio-nal Fair Concert and Antoni Hoffmann (Poznan Philharmonic) entered the stage. Instead of an in-troduction to the works which were to be performer, there were only words regarding the tragedy unfolding beyond the Eastern border of Poland. Then a shared moment of silence which comme-morated the victims of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
The concert had no verbal introduction. Only the music of Maurice Ravel resounded: Tzigane (An-na Ziółkowska – violin), Piano Concerto in G Major (Michał Francuz – piano), Rapsodie Espagnole and Boléro. For the encore: Pavane for the Dead Princess.
Photos by Antoni Hoffmann
We highly recommend you the SPECIAL CONCERT Antonio VIVALDI – Ennio MORRICONE, scheduled for the 6th of May 2022 (Friday) at 8 pm in AMU Concert Hall.
The first part of the concert will feature the most famous and liked piece of music by Antonio Vivaldi – Four Seasons, Op. 8, in the masterful performance by Prof. Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, who 63 years ago, on the 25th of November 1959, played his first solo violin recital in Gdańsk-Wrzeszcz as a 12-year-old young virtuoso. He will be accompanied by Warszaw Philharmonic Cham-ber Orchestra led by Jan Lewtak and Danuta Kojro-Pawulska on harpsichord.
In the second part the listeners will be invited to the beautiful world of Ennio Morricone’s film music, transcripted by Jan Lewtak and performed by the soloists and Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra conducted by Jan Lewtak. The melodious vocalises will be sung by Magdalena Schabowska – soprano – and artists from Poznan Chamber Choir. The concert will be hosted by the popular radio journalist Paweł Sztompke.
Performers:
Konstanty Andrzej Kulka – violin
Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
Jan Lewtak – artistic management, violin
Artists from Poznan Chamber
Choir Bartosz Michałowski– artistic director, choir preparation
Danuto Kojro-Pawulska – harpsichord, piano
Joanna Monachowicz – oboe, cor anglais
Maria Lewicka – flute, piccolo
Magdalena Schabowska – soprano
Krzysztof Bednarczyk – trumpet
Witold Lewicki – harmonica
Paweł Sztompke – host
Program:
- Antonio Vivaldi – Four Seasons, Op. 8
- Ennio Morricone – music from the films: Once Upon a Time in America – Deborah’s Theme, Cockeye’s Theme, Chi Mai, D’amore si muore – For Love One Can Die, Once Upon a Time in the West, Romanza Quartiere, La califfa, Mission – Gabriel’s Oboe, Le professionnel – Le vent, le cri, Per un pugno di dollari
Tickets for the event can be bought on the following website: Bilety24.pl
Concert organizers: FILHARMONIA Foundation
We inform that from the 7th of February the ticket office of Poznan Philharmonic is open in the following days and hours:
- Monday: closed
- Tuesday: 1pm – 5pm
- Wednesday: 1pm – 5pm
- Thursday: 1pm – 5pm
- Friday: 1pm – 7pm
We also remind you about the possibility of purchasing tickets online.
On a prestigious music website, ”Pizzicato”, a review has appeared of the album with the works of Ste-fan Bolesław Poradowski recorded by Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra led by Łukasz Borowicz and featu-ring soloists from our orchestra: Marcin Suszycki and Piotr Czerwiński. The CD, released this autumn by DUX label, is a world phonograpic premiere of Poznan Philharmonic Orchestra. The album received as many as four notes from the author of the review!
We invite you to read the review.
Stefan Bolesław Poradowski (1902-1967) was a Polish composer. He studied in Poznan and in Berlin with Emil Nikolaus von Reznicek. He was professor of music theory and composition at the Poznan Conservatory and after 1945 he taught at the Wroclaw Academy of Music. He composed an opera, eight symphonies, solo concertos, chamber music works, piano and organ pieces, an oratorio, and two masses and songs.
The Contrabass Concerto and the Third Symphony are closely related in their dates of composition. While the concerto is still neo-Romantic in style, the symphony already shows the first modern elements and elements taken from folk music. His Violin Concerto shows the stylistic transition, since it is shaped in three movements as usual and orchestrated in a neoclassical manner, but harmonically it subscribes to twelve-tone theory. The solo part refers to Prokofiev, Shostakovich and Szymanowski in its technical requirements.
Because of Stefan Boleslaw Poradowski’s personal relationship with Poznan, the city’s orchestra offered itself as a partner for the recording. And the conductor Lukasz Borowicz came into contact with the work during his studies, which has occupied him ever since. With the concertmaster and the solo bassist of the orchestra, accomplished artists were found who accepted the task with joy. The result is an exciting recording that casts this composer, hardly known even to the orchestra beforehand, in a nuanced light.
Uwe Krusch