Orkiestra Filharmonii Łódzkiej
The Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź is one of the oldest philharmonic ensembles in Poland. Its origins date back to the inaugural concert of the Łódź Symphony Orchestra, which took place on 17 February 1915 at the Grand Theatre on Konstantynowska Street. The Łódź ensemble was the second permanent symphony orchestra in the Russian partition, after the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra. In its more than 100-year history, the musicians of the Łódź ensemble have performed under the baton of many outstanding conductors, including Henryk Czyż, Grzegorz Fitelberg and Paul Kletzki. The orchestra’s prestige was also determined by the names of the soloists who performed with it, including Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Mstislav Rostropovich and Grażyna Bacewicz.
The orchestra’s significant achievements also include recordings for Polish and foreign labels, especially those made under the direction of Henryk Czyż and Zdzisław Szostak. In recent years, recorded by the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra albums have been nominated for the Fryderyk Award several times: in 2015, an album with works by Witold Lutosławski, recorded under the direction of Daniel Raiskin; in 2020 – albums recorded under the direction of Paweł Przytocki with pianist Julia Kociuban and violinist Piotr Pławner; in 2025 – a recording of works by Zygmunt Noskowski and Henryk Wieniawski with Wojciech Niedziółka as soloist and Paweł Przytocki as conductor.
The ensemble has undertaken numerous international tours, visiting Austria, the Netherlands, Norway and Italy, performing in such prestigious concert halls as the Tonhalle in Zurich, the Queen Elisabeth Hall in Antwerp and the Sala Verdi at the Milan Conservatory. In February 2017, the orchestra, conducted by Paweł Przytocki, gave a concert at the Goldener Saal Musikverein in Vienna. The success and impressive applause from the international audience were inspiration to invite Paweł Przytocki to join the orchestra as their artistic director, a position the conductor still holds today.
In 2015, the Arthur Rubinstein Philharmonic Orchestra in Łódź was awarded the Gold Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis.
[2026]