Sinfonia Varsovia: 40th Anniversary

Sinfonia Varsovia begins its anniversary this December with Mark Janowski (December 20, 2023, Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio), under whose direction it will perform two Beethoven symphonies – the Fifth and Sixth. It is around this composer’s symphonics that the orchestra’s regular meetings with the German conductor have been centered so far, referring to the legendary recording of the complete Beethoven symphonies by Sinfonia Varsovia conducted by Yehudi Menuhin in the 1990s (IMG Records 1995).

A year later, the series of anniversary concerts will be culminated by British violinist Daniel Hope (December 9, 2024, Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera). A teenage prodigy, Hope accompanied Sinfonia Varsovia on its first tours, and it was with him as soloist that it gave the last concert of Menuhin’s career. The evening will feature Andrzej Panufnik’s Violin Concerto and the Jupiter Symphony by W.A. Mozart.

Two concerts have been scheduled for February 2024 at the Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio of Polish Radio, featuring the outstanding Serbian violinist and leader of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, Gordan Nikolić. The artist has a habit of leading orchestras from the lectern even in such demanding repertoire as Johannes Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 77 (February 25, 2024). In his interpretation of Alban Berg’s Violin Concerto (February 28, 2024), on the other hand, the orchestra will be conducted by Alejandro Cantalapiedra.

On March 11, 2024, Piotr Anderszewski will perform with Sinfonia Varsovia at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera, on the eve of the 25^th anniversary of Yehudi Menuhin’s death. Considered one of the world’s most charismatic and individual pianists, he will lead the orchestra from the instrument in keyboard concertos by Joseph Haydn and Ludwig van Beethoven. It is worth recalling that a joint recording of Mozart’s piano concertos for Virgin Classics in 2002 was Anderszewski’s first and immediately successful attempt to tackle the dual role of conductor and soloist. The concert in Warsaw will be preceded by performances at the Polish Baltic Philharmonic in Gdańsk (March 07, 2024) and the Szczecin Philharmonic (March 8, 2024).

On March 25, 2024, Sinfonia Varsovia will perform under the baton of American violinist Pinchas Zukerman. His relationship with the orchestra, following a hugely successful tour of Spain in 2023 – during which he performed as soloist and conductor in Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, Op. 61 – is fresh and therefore extremely lively and inspiring for both parties.

Another major event on the anniversary calendar will be a concert on May 13, 2024 at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera. Sinfonia Varsovia will celebrate the bicentennial of the premiere of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 (May 7, 1824) and the 20^th anniversary of Poland’s accession to the European Union (May 1, 2004). To mark the occasion, a civic choir of Warsaw residents is planned to be selected in auditions to participate in a performance of the final Ode to Joy. The performance will be conducted by award-winning Hungarian kapellmeister Henrik Nánási, associated with such prestigious stages as the Komische Oper in Berlin, Covent Garden in London and the Met in New York. The concert will also be the inauguration of the 24^th edition of the Franciszek Wybrańczyk Sinfonia Varsovia to Its City Festival.