Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra - NOSPR

During the opening concert, which was held on 10 November 1947, the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra performed under the baton of its first conductor, Stanisław Wisłocki. He was later succeeded by Jerzy Katlewicz, Robert Satanowski, Witold Krzemieński, Zdzisław Szostak, Renard Czajkowski, Wojciech Rajski, Wojciech Michniewski, Andrzej Boreyko, Mirosław Jacek Błaszczyk, José Maria Florencio, Grzegorz Nowak, Marek Pijarowski (2007–2021). In the 2021/2022 artistic season, Łukasz Borowicz became Music Director and Chief Conductor of the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra.

One of the most famous and recognised Polish symphonic ensembles, the orchestra performs at major music centres at home and abroad. It has toured almost all European countries. In February and March 2020, the ensemble performed with the world-famous Polish pianist Rafał Blechacz to deliver a series of concerts Kompozytorzy na walizkach (Composers Living Out of a Suitcase) in Germany (Konzerthaus Berlin, Konzerthalle Frankfurt Oder, Staatstheater Darmstadt) and in France (Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris). During the tour, the orchestra also appeared in Wiesbaden (with pianist Olga Scheps, and violinist Bomsori Kim), as well as at the Kölner Philharmonie (with pianist Juho Pohjonen).

The ensemble has performed at several leading international music festivals, incl. the Romaeuropa-Villa Medici, Kissinger Sommer, Ankara Sanat Festivali, Festwochen in Herrenhausen, Bregenzer Frühling, Dresdner Musikfestspiele, Choriner Musiksommer, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, International Music Festival Janáčkův Máj, or Smetanova Litomyšl International Opera Festival.

The Orchestra accompanied participants of the first post-war edition of the Chopin Competition in Warsaw; since 1952, it has regularly played with the finalists of International Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competitions in Poznań. The main symphonic ensemble of the Poznańska Wiosna Muzyczna, it also participates in the Warszawska Jesień and Wratislavia Cantans festivals, and frequently takes part in première performances of pieces by contemporary Polish and foreign composers. A memorable event in the ensemble’s history was its performance to Pope John Paul II at the Vatican.

The ensemble has performed with such illustrious conductors, as Hermann Abendroth, Walerian Bierdiajew, Henryk Czyż, Marco Erede, János Ferencsik, Reinhard Goebel, Zdzisław Górzyński, Eivind Gullberg Jensen, Christopher Hogwood, Pietari Inkinen, Jacek Kaspszyk, Kazimierz Kord, Jan Krenz, Zygmunt Latoszewski, Zdeněk Mácal, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Sir Neville Marriner, Paul McCreesh, Rafael Payare, Jérémie Rhorer, Witold Rowicki, Ainārs Rubiķis, Jerzy Semkow, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Václav Smetáček, Antoni Wit, Bohdan Wodiczko, Carlo Zecchi, as well as with outstanding soloists: Piotr Anderszewski, Martha Argerich, Piotr Beczała, Rafał Blechacz, Gábor Boldoczki, Pavol Breslik, Sarah Chang, Andrzej Dobber, Helen Donath, Wojciech Drabowicz, Franco Fagioli, Jean Fournier, Malcolm Frager, Alexander Gavrylyuk, Monique Haas, Ida Haendel, Anita Hartig, Andrzej Hiolski, Philippe Jaroussky, Sumi Jo, Ryszard Karczykowski, Antonina Kawecka, Simone Kermes, Olga Kern, Gidon Kremer, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Aleksandra Kurzak, Sergei Leiferkus, Julia Lezhneva, Christian Lindberg, Bernard Ładysz, Adam Makowicz, Witold Małcużyński, Annick Massis, Albrecht Mayer, Francesco Meli, Midori,Johannes Moser, Leszek Możdżer, Victoria Mullova, Sergei Nakariakov, Wiesław Ochman, Garrick Ohlsson, David and Igor Oistrakhs, Gerhrad Oppitz, Emmanuel Pahud, Ewa Podleś, Maurizio Pollini, Samuel Ramey, Vadim Repin, Rugierro Ricci, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich, Artur Rubinstein, Gil Shaham, Göran Söllscher, Martin Stadtfeld, Akiko Suwanai, Henryk Szeryng, Maxim Vengerov, Arcadi Volodos, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Ingolf Wunder, Pretty Yende, Narciso Yepes, Christian Zacharias, Thomas Zehetmair, Krystian Zimerman, Nikolaj Znaider.

Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra has made recordings of symphonic, opera and ballet music for radio, television and record companies (Sony Classical, cpo, Polmusic, Polskie Nagrania, Muza, Largo Records, Dux, CD Accord, and Naxos). In 2015, the CD Gwiazdy Światowych Scen Operowych: Ewa Podleś z Orkiestrą Filharmonii Poznańskiej Live (World Opera Stars: Ewa Podleś. Live with the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra) recorded in Poznań at a concert conducted by Łukasz Borowicz, was awarded the L’Orphée d’Or prize by the French Académie du Disque Lyrique.

Conducted by Łukasz Borowicz, the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra, the Choir of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, as well as soloists – Wioletta Chodowicz, Robert Gierlach and Wojtek Gierlach – made in 2016 the world première recording of Quo vadis oratorio by Feliks Nowowiejski. Released in 2017 by the German record company cpo, in 2018 the two-CD album was awarded one of the most prestigious record prizes in the world: the International Classical Music Award (ICMA 2018).

2019 saw the release of “Stanisław Moniuszko, Cantatas Milda/Nijoła”, which was the pieces’ world phonographic premiere. Conducted by Łukasz Borowicz, the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra recorded the two-CD album with the Choir of the Podlasie Opera and Philharmonic, as well as with soloists: Wioletta Chodowicz (soprano), Maria Jaskulska-Chrenowicz (soprano), Ewa Wolak (mezzo-soprano), Sylwester Smulczyński (tenor), Robert Gierlach (baritone), and Szymon Kobyliński (bass). In May 2020, the album made the Editor's Choice list of the best records selected by the prestigious British classical music monthly Gramophone.

The newest albums by the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra (of which the first three are world phonographic premieres) include “Michał Bergson, Concerto symphonique pour piano et orchestre op. 62 /Music from the opera Luisa di Monfort” (Jonathan Plowright – piano, Jakub Drygas – clarinet, Aleksandra Kubas-Kruk – soprano, Łukasz Borowicz – conductor, Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra), “Stefan Bolesław Poradowski, Violin Concerto, Op. 70, Double Bass Concerto, Op. 26, Symphony No. 3, Op. 29” (Marcin Suszycki – violin, Piotr Czerwiński – double bass, Łukasz Borowicz – conductor, Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra), “Feliks Nowowiejski, Piano Concerto in D minor, Op. 60 Slavic, Cello Concerto, Op. 55” (Jacek Kortus – piano, Bartosz Koziak – cello, Łukasz Borowicz – conductor, Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra) as well as the concert version of the opera Faniska by Luigi Cherubini and Kashchey the Immortal by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, which the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Łukasz Borowicz recorded with soloists and Poznań Chamber Choir (prepared by Bartosz Michałowski).

Famous throughout Europe for its excellent acoustic properties and exquisite Neo-Renaissance architecture, and capable of seating over one thousand listeners, the Auditorium of Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznań is the concert venue of the Poznań Philharmonic Orchestra.