On a daily basis, they perform with the country’s leading orchestras. They take on the interpretative challenges of the greatest symphonic works in the history of music, collaborating with outstanding soloists, singers, choirs and conductors. However, their repertoire also includes works written for chamber line-ups.
In the 1960s, Karol Teutsch (1921–1992) founded the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Ensemble in the spirit of the pre-war chamber music tradition of the Warsaw Philharmonic. Building on this legacy, in 2002 Jan Lewtak, under the patronage of Antoni Wit, founded the orchestra named Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra and took over its artistic direction. Over the past 25 years – since the ensemble’s first concert on 10 January 2002 – the orchestra, now named Chamber Orchestra FILHARMONIA, has built an international reputation through collaborations with artists such as Salvatore Accardo, Lorenzo Gatto, Philippe Giusiano, Evelyn Glennie, Ian Hobson, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Isabelle van Keulen, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Mischa Maisky and Shlomo Minz, as well as with the record labels Naxos, Sony and CD Accord. The ensemble has recorded, amongst other works, three monographic albums dedicated to the works of Grażyna Bacewicz, Krzysztof Penderecki and Mikołaj Piotr Górecki, whilst the Warsaw Philharmonic’s Grammy-winning album from 2013 featured a recording of Penderecki’s Fonogrammi performed by the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Antoni Wit.
To mark the 25th anniversary of its concert activity, the Chamber Orchestra FILHARMONIA, in collaboration with the renowned mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital, has prepared a programme that perfectly complements this history. We will hear works by Grażyna Bacewicz, Antonio Vivaldi and Pyotr Tchaikovsky, which stir a deep emotional chord through the expressive voices of the string instruments.
We wish the Ensemble continued success!