Kicking off the season is a concert by the prodigious 19-year-old pianist Yoav Levanon who hails from Israel. Levanon will grace the stage with Mozart's compositions prior to intermission and Fitelberg's music afterwards. On 20 October, "The Masterpieces of the 20th Century" concert will feature works by Szymanowski, Penderecki, and Vítězslava Kaprálová, a prematurely-deceased Czech composer whose music was a sensation of the interwar era. Mark your calendars on 27 October as Christian Lindberg takes centre stage with his Golden Eagle trombone concerto. November will commence with Bach's music and the eagerly anticipated 142nd Trade Fair Concert on 10 November featuring Piotr Kowalski's rendition of Witold Lutosławski's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra.
On 17 November, the Between Prague and Vienna concert will bring music by Josef Mysliveček, also known as "The Czech Mozart", as well as compositions by Haydn and Schubert. Adding to the enchantment is a trombone adaptation of Penderecki's Winterreise. December will unfold with a symphony by Talmi, featuring a premiere performance of the Symphony for Soprano and Orchestra, as well as Mahler, who will close with a New Year's Eve concert headlined by the soprano Magdalena Stefaniak.
As we enter the New Year, the Philharmonic will deliver opera, musical and Viennese hits alongside the timeless symphonies and concertos of Haydn. Notable performances by Bartłomiej Nizioł and cellist Hayoung Choi will also grace the line-up. February will emerge as a month of musical milestones, marking the 135th anniversary of Grażyna Bacewicz's birth, with a rendition of her Piano Concerto. Additionally, we will celebrate the birthday of Antoni Wit, who will conduct Schubert's Symphony No. 3 and the symphonic masterpiece Die Seejungfrau inspired by the tale of the Little Mermaid.
March promises a concert of French religious melodies rendered by the Poznań Nightingales. In the latter part of the season, several philharmonic virtuosos, including Jakub Kaszuba on oboe, Marcin Chrzanowski on horn, Damian Kurek on trumpet, Marcin Herman on violin, and Inna Vorobets on flute, will shine as soloists. Spring heralds an abundance of canonical symphonic compositions, including Beethoven's Third and Fifth Symphonies and Saint-Saëns' Third "Organ" Symphony. Fans of Bartók and Ravel will sure be drawn to the concert on 24 May featuring a splendid array of pieces from both composers. The season will gracefully conclude with Holst's opus The Planets and symphonic masterpieces by Mendelssohn and Bruckner.
Two other highly promising emerging talents feature in the repertoire. On 9 December, the orchestra will be conducted by winner of the 11th Grzegorz Fitelberg International Conducting Competition held in November. The programme of another highlight of the month, the Spring Concert, will be curated by the audience.
While the season doesn't feature new compositions, it welcomes a cadre of young artists who are boldly carving their niche in the world of music. A well-proven fusion of philharmonic classics and hidden gems ensures an engaging programme, promising a succession of unique musical experiences.
Paweł Binek
translation: Krzysztof Kotkowski
© Wydawnictwo Miejskie Posnania 2023