Centenary of the Birth of Stanisław Skrowaczewski
Stanisław Skrowaczewski, born a hundred years ago in Lviv, first displayed his talent for conducting at the tender age of 13. Even earlier, as a seven-year-old, he decided to try his hand at composing, having already spent a few years learning violin and piano… He enjoyed his first public successes before the outbreak of the Second World War, and he gave his final, unforgettable concert before a Polish audience in 2016, shortly before his death. He spent most of his life abroad, working with the world’s leading orchestras and soloists. The Warsaw Philharmonic will be celebrating the centenary of the birth of this versatile and refined artist with a programme filled with works of chamber music. They will include compositions by Skrowaczewski himself, as well as works by composers particularly close to his heart: Anton Bruckner and Witold Lutosławski. Music lovers at the Warsaw Philharmonic may still recall his excellent readings of Bruckner’s symphonies (he also conducted one of them during his last concert). He enjoyed a warm relationship with Lutosławski, and was one of the greatest propagators of his music around the world.
Bartłomiej Gembicki