Born on November 23rd, 1933 in Dębica, Poland, Krzysztof Penderecki studied composition under Franciszek Skołyszewski, and later at the Kraków Academy of Music under Artur Malawski and Stanisław Wiechowicz.

 

In 1959, he composed Threnody for the Victims of Hiroshima, one of his best known and most often performed compositions, which received the UNESCO prize in 1961. This piece was followed by Anaklasis (Donaueschinger Musiktage), Polymorphia (commissioned by the Norddeutscher Rundfunk Hamburg), Fluorescences (Donaueschinger Musiktage), and, in 1966, St. Luke Passion, the first major work of his career. It was written for the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne to mark the 700 years of the Münster Cathedral, where it had its premiere on March 30th, 1966. This performance brought Penderecki to international fame and started a run of success.

 

 

Anne-Sophie Mutter’s 2018 concert calendar features performances in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America, once again reflecting the violinist’s musical versatility and her unparalleled prominence in the world of classical music: in March she performed the world premiere of André Previn’s composition The Fifth Season for violin and piano at Carnegie Hall.

 

Throughout the year, the violin works by Krzysztof Penderecki form a great thematic focus, commemorating the composer’s 85th birthday in 2018 and the many years of friendship between him and Anne-Sophie Mutter.

 

In honour of the Polish composer, she will play those works he has dedicated to her, the Violin Concerto No. 2 “Metamorphoses” (which she premiered in 1995) and the Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 (premiered by her in 2000), the Duo concertante per Violino E Contrabbasso (premiered by her in 2011) as well as La Follia for solo violin (which she premiered in 2013).

 

A double CD with all the works Penderecki has dedicated to her has been released on August 10th 2018, also including her first recording of the Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2.

 

Conductor: Maciej Tworek

 

Born in Tarnobrzeg, Poland, Maciej Tworek studied piano under Prof. Jan Hoffman, choral studies within the Musical Education Faculty and conducting within the Institute of Composition, Conducting and Music Theory under prof. Józef Radwan at the Academy of Music in Cracow. 

 

Since 2002, as the conductor, he has continuously cooperated with Krzysztof Penderecki. Since 2010, Maciej Tworek has been represented by the Ludwig van Beethoven Association Artist Management.

 

Maciej Tworek has worked with numerous ensembles, including the Hilliard Ensemble, the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sinfonia Varsovia, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, New Russia State Symphony Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfonica Simon Bolívar de Venezuela, Coro Sinfonico Nacional Juvenil de Venezuela, Bucheon Philharmonic Orchestra Chorus in South Korea, NDR Chor, NDR Radiofilharmonie, MDR Rundfunk Chor, MDR Sinfonie Orchester, Brno Philharmonic, Philharmonic Orchestras of Kraków, Rzeszów, Łódź, Wrocław, Białystok, Beethoven Academy Orchestra, Sinfonia Iuventus, Polish Radio Choir, and Pro Arte Chamber Choir.

 

 

 

Yehudi Menuhin, 29 August 1991"...they are wonderful, they are one of the best orchestras, not only in Poland. First class."
Martha Argerich, 23 August 2009

 

In April of 1984, Waldemar Dąbrowski, director of the St. I. Witkiewicz Studio Centre for the Arts in Warsaw and Franciszek Wybrańczyk, director of the then extant Polish Chamber Orchestra invited the legendary violinist Yehudi Menuhin to perform in Poland as soloist and conductor. To match the exigencies of the planned repertoire, the orchestra increased the number of its members, inviting renowned musicians from all over Poland to perform together.

 

The ensemble’s initial concerts under the direction of Yehudi Menuhin were enthusiastically applauded by audiences and praised by critics, while Lord Menuhin himself did not hesitate to accept Waldemar Dąbrowski’s and Franciszek Wybrańczyk’s proposal to become the first guest conductor of the newly established symphony orchestra named Sinfonia Varsovia.

The Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra was soon invited to play concerts in the United States and Canada, with more invitations to follow – from Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Austria, Finland, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Great Britain, Switzerland and Greece, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea and Taiwan. 

In 2014 the Sinfonia Varsovia Orchestra celebrated the 30th Anniversary of its activity.