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Orchestra
of the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Cracow
It
started its activity in February 1945. For over half a century it was headed
by outstanding conductors: Zygmunt Latoszewski, Bohdan Wodiczko, Stanisław
Skrowaczewski, Witold Rowicki, Andrzej Markowski, Henryk Czyż, Jerzy
Katlewicz, Tadeusz Strugała, Gilbert Levine, Roland Bader, Jerzy Maksymiuk,
Marek Pijarowski, or Vladimir Ponkin.
It was also conducted by distinguished masters of baton such as Hermann
Abendroth, Roberto Benzi, Paweł Klecki, Rafael Kubelik, Kiriłł Kondraszyn,
Carlo Zecchi, Antal Dorati, Giuseppe Sinopoli, Helmuth Rilling, Jerzy Semkow,
Kazimierz Kord, Gabriel Chmura, Antoni Wit, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jacek Kaspszyk,
Marek Pijarowski and Christopher Hogwood. Eminent soloists concerted with the
orchestra, i.a. Yehudi Menuhin, Artur Rubinstein, Igor i Dawid Ojstrach,
Światosław Richter, Lew Oborin, Bella Dawidowicz, Maurizio Polini, Mścisław
Rostropowicz, Nigel Kennedy, Kevin Kenner, Vadim Brodski, Emanuel Ax, Yo-Yo
Ma, Garrick Ohlsson and Gidon Kremer.
Its concerts took place in over 30 countries (in some, many times) beside
Europe in Iran, Japan, Canada, South Korea, Turkey, USA, in world festivals
and in the most prominent concert halls. On the whole, by the end of 2002 the
orchestra of the Cracow Philharmonic played approximately 800 concerts
abroad.
Orchestra has pre-performed many new works (i. a. compositions of Grażyna
Bacewicz, Witold Lutosławski, Henryk Mikołaj Górecki, Krzysztof Penderecki
and others) . It has a rich list of phonographic recordings, mostly done to
the order of foreign companies.
On the Cracow concert platform, it is present each Friday and Saturday, very
often it fills interiors of historical churches of Cracow with music. Since
march 2009 the executive and artistic director of Philharmony and the head of
Orchestra is Paweł Przytocki.
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