Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra

Last updated

Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra
Orchestra
Warsaw Philharmonic.png
Official logo
Founded1901;123 years ago (1901)
Location Warsaw, Poland
Concert hall Warsaw Philharmonic
Principal conductor Krzysztof Urbański
Website filharmonia.pl

The Warsaw Philharmonic, as it is formally known in English, or Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie ("National Philharmonic Orchestra in Warsaw"), as it is legally set up, is a Polish orchestra founded in 1901, one of the nation's oldest musical institutions. Its home is the Warsaw Philharmonic Hall.

Contents

History

Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in 1918. The building was completely destroyed in a German air raid on Warsaw in 1939. A new concert hall was built after the war in a popular style. Pl warszawa filharmonia old 1918.jpg
Warsaw Philharmonic Hall in 1918. The building was completely destroyed in a German air raid on Warsaw in 1939. A new concert hall was built after the war in a popular style.

The orchestra was conceived on initiative of an assembly of Polish aristocrats and financiers, as well as musicians. Between 1901 and the outbreak of World War II in 1939, several virtuoso- and conductor-composers regularly performed their works with the orchestra, including Edvard Grieg, Arthur Honegger, Ruggiero Leoncavallo, Sergei Prokofiev, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, Camille Saint-Saëns, Richard Strauss, and Igor Stravinsky. Among the other musicians who played with the Philharmonic were pianists Ignacy Jan Paderewski, Arthur Rubinstein, Vladimir Horowitz and Claudio Arrau, violinists Jascha Heifetz and Pablo de Sarasate, and cellist Pablo Casals. [2] The Philharmonic has played host to the Chopin International Piano Competition since the contest began in 1927, and also appeared at the inaugural Wieniawski International Violin Competition (1935) and Universal Festival of Polish Art (1937). [3]

The orchestra underwent an eclipse during the Second World War, during which it lost half its members to the war, as well as its elegant building, which had been erected and modeled after the Paris Opera around the start of the 20th century by Karol Kozłowski. In 1947, the orchestra resumed its regular season, but had to wait until 1955 for its home to be finally rebuilt, albeit in a new style. When the building was dedicated on 21 February, the Philharmonic was proclaimed the National Orchestra of Poland. [4]

Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall today. The front elevation colonnade over arcade has been recreated. Filharmonia Narodowa w Warszawie 2020.jpg
Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall today. The front elevation colonnade over arcade has been recreated.

The conductor Witold Rowicki was responsible for helping modernize the ensemble and ensuring the orchestra cultivated Polish music both old and recent, as represented by the works of Frédéric Chopin, Witold Lutosławski and Henryk Górecki, without failing also to refine its mastery of the world repertoire. [5] At home, the orchestra performs in the Warsaw Autumn International Festival of Contemporary Music besides accompanying the final rounds of the Chopin International Piano Competitions, while abroad it has toured the five continents to critical acclaim. [6]

Recordings

In the 1945 to 1989 period, the orchestra recorded for Polskie Nagrania Muza, the Polish state recording company, Eterna, Telefunken and Philips. After 1989 it recorded for Philips, Polygram, MMC Recordings, Accord and Naxos.

The Philharmonic has recorded music for several anime series. Notable shows include Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo , Cowboy Bebop , Soukyuu no Fafner , Giant Robo: The Animation , Ah! My Goddess: The Movie , Princess Nine , Vision of Escaflowne , Wolf's Rain , Hellsing Ultimate , Genesis of Aquarion , [7] and more recently, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood . It has also recorded music for Konami's Suikoden II , [8] Namco's Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War , and together with the Hollywood Session Orchestra, for the SEGA action-RPG Phantasy Star Universe . The orchestra was involved in a major performance for the film Avalon , composed by Kenji Kawai, and part of a performance is shown in the film. It also played the soundtrack for the film Battle Royale . Most recently, they have recorded music for the Square Enix role-playing video game Final Fantasy XIII .

List of musical directors

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mieczysław Karłowicz</span> Polish composer and conductor

Mieczysław Karłowicz was a Polish composer and conductor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish Baltic Philharmonic</span>

Polish Baltic F. Chopin Philharmonic in Gdańsk is a concert hall located in Ołowianka, Gdańsk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Antoni Wit</span> Polish conductor (born 1944)

Antoni Wit is a Polish conductor, composer, lawyer and professor at the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music. Between 2002 and 2013, he served as the artistic director of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witold Rowicki</span> Polish conductor

Witold Rowicki was a Polish conductor. He held principal conducting positions with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra. Witold Lutoslawski's Concerto for Orchestra was dedicated to him.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Motion Trio</span>

Motion Trio is a Polish accordion trio founded in 1996 by Janusz Wojtarowicz.

Olgierd Straszyński was a Polish conductor, member of Polish resistance in World War II and music director of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra in 1945–1946.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Agnieszka Duczmal</span> Polish conductor (born 1946)

Agnieszka Duczmal is a Polish conductor and founder of the Poznań Amadeus Orchestra.

The Chopin University of Music is a musical conservatorium and academy located in central Warsaw, Poland. It is the oldest and largest music school in Poland, and one of the largest in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraków Philharmonic</span> Polish philharmonic society

The Kraków Philharmonic is the primary concert hall in Kraków, Poland. It is one of the largest auditoriums in the city. It consists of the main hall for orchestral performances with 693 seats, and two smaller venues, the Golden Hall and the Blue Hall, for chamber music concerts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wanda Wiłkomirska</span> Polish violinist (1929–2018)

Wanda Wiłkomirska was a Polish violinist and academic teacher. She was known for both the classical repertoire and for her interpretation of 20th-century music, having received two Polish State Awards for promoting Polish music to the world as well as other awards for her contribution to music. She gave world premiere performances of numerous contemporary works, including music by Tadeusz Baird and Krzysztof Penderecki. Wiłkomirska performed on a violin crafted by Pietro Guarneri in 1734 in Venice. She taught at the music academies of Mannheim and Sydney.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Witold Maliszewski</span>

Witold Maliszewski was a Polish composer, founder of Odessa Conservatory, and a professor of Warsaw Conservatory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra</span> Polish symphony orchestra

The Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra is one of Poland's radio orchestras and premier musical institutions. It was founded in 1935 in Warsaw and was later re-established in Katowice in 1945. Since 2006 it has been a "National Cultural Institution".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra</span> Polish orchestra

The Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra or the Symphony Orchestra of the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic is a professional symphony orchestra based in Kraków, Poland. The national status of the orchestra is reflected in its program of events, including weekly symphonic concerts in the Wawel Royal Castle, or at the Jagiellonian University's Collegium Novum, and prominent Kraków churches. The company is more active professionally than any other philharmonic orchestra in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pomeranian Philharmonic</span> Orchestra in Bydgoszcz, Poland

The Ignacy Jan Paderewski Pomeranian Philharmonic has been at its present site in Bydgoszcz, Poland, since 16 November 1953. It bears the name of Polish pianist and composer Ignacy Jan Paderewski. The Pomeranian Philharmonic is the musical center of Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship and also features an outdoor art gallery. It is registered on the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship Heritage List.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">National Philharmonic, Warsaw</span> Concert Hall in Warsaw, Poland

The National Philharmonic in Warsaw is a Polish cultural institution, located at 5 Jasna Street in Warsaw. The building was built between 1900 and 1901, under the direction of Karol Kozłowski, to be reconstructed in 1955 by Eugeniusz Szparkowski. The director of the institution is Wojciech Nowak. It is the main venue of the Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra.

Lithuanian Rhapsody in A minor, Op. 11 is the third of Mieczysław Karłowicz's six symphonic poems. A typical performance lasts 18—20 minutes.

Jadwiga Szamotulska was a Polish pianist, pedagogue, translator of art-song lyrics and librettos, university instructor at the Academy of Music in Kraków in Kraków, performing artist with the National Philharmonic in Warsaw in Warsaw, and voice coach for the soloists of the Grand Theatre, Warsaw.

Flis is a Polish-language opera in one act by Stanisław Moniuszko to a libretto by Stanisław Bogusławski. It was premiered in Warsaw on 24 September 1858.

Krzysztof Urbański is a Polish conductor and composer.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrzej Szwalbe</span> Polish lawyer, social and cultural activist

Andrzej Jan Szwalbe was a Polish lawyer, social and cultural activist and manager of the musical life in Bydgoszcz. He was the originator and creator of numerous artistic projects outside the region. In 1993, he has been designated as "Honorary Citizen of Bydgoszcz". He was awarded the highest state orders for his contribution to Polish culture.

References

  1. ↑ "Filharmonia Warszawska". warszawa1939.pl (in Polish). Retrieved 21 February 2008.
  2. ↑ "Orkiestra Filharmonii Narodowej" . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  3. ↑ "The Orchestra of the National Philharmonic in Warsaw" . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  4. ↑ "History" . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  5. ↑ "Aktualności 100. rocznica urodzin Witolda Rowickiego" . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  6. ↑ "O Warszawskiej Jesieni" . Retrieved 16 November 2019.
  7. ↑ God Len (20 November 2006). "Got a case of the Mondays? Here's your cure, Genesis of Aquarion". Japanator. Retrieved 14 July 2007.
  8. ↑ "KICA-7935~6 | GENSOSUIKODEN II ORIGINAL GAME SOUNDTRACK Vol. 1 - VGMdb". vgmdb.net.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.