New Year's Concert Filharmonia Narodowa

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New Year's Concert
Mateusz Molęda, photo: Alexej Gorlatch

Instead of waiting for the usual broadcast of the New Year’s concert from the Golden Hall of the Vienna Musikverein to hear Strauss waltzes, polkas and showstopping numbers from operettas, the musical atmosphere of Vienna can be experienced during the New Year’s Eve concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic. It is not easy to grasp the genealogy of the Strauss family. Josef, Eduard and as many as three Johanns are among the most famous members of the enterprising Austrian family with Hungarian roots, which over the course of the nineteenth century produced an abundant corpus of popular songs that resounded at carnival balls. The progenitor of the musical dynasty was the first of the Johanns, who was said to have been inspired by the music of bands wandering between the Viennese taverns along the Danube. However, it was his first-born son, also Johann, who made a name for himself as the ‘king of the waltz’ and the composer of numerous popular operettas, to mention but titles such as Die Fledermaus and Wiener Blut. Another descendant, Josef, the most universally talented of the siblings, planned a different career for himself, successfully completing studies in engineering. However, a sudden substitution for the sick Johann II turned his fortunes to music for life. After Josef’s death, the youngest of the brothers, Eduard, took over the responsibility of leading the family orchestra. Together with the orchestra, he visited the most diverse corners of the world, and at the beginning of the twentieth century, he published his written history of the musical Strauss family.

The Warsaw Philharmonic Patron of the Year – PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna – warmly welcomes you to join us in this concert
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Mateusz Molęda

Since his first appearance conducting an orchestra at the age of 19, Mateusz Molęda has consistently impressed both audiences and critics with insightful interpretations of eclectic concert programmes. In 2023, he won First Prize and the Special Prize of the Orchestra at the prestigious International Sergei Kussewitzky Conducting Competition in Italy. Having received enthusiastic reviews by the  German press, where he was described as a shooting star of the classical music scene, in the 2024/2025 season, Mateusz Molęda debuts with the Staatskapelle Dresden and the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra, among others.

Engagements as a guest conductor have taken him to the UK, Germany, Denmark, Italy, Poland, Hungary, Canada, South Korea and South Africa. He has worked repeatedly with the  London Mozart Players, Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, Orchester der Komischen Oper Berlin, Nürnberger Symphoniker, Heidelberger Philharmoniker, Deutsches Kammerorchester Berlin, Württembergisches Kammerorchester Heilbronn, Aarhus Symfoniorkester, Odense Symfoniorkester, Hungarian National Philharmonic Orchestra, NFM Wrocław Philharmonic and Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra.

The Bavarian broadcasting channel BR-Klassik praised Mateusz Molęda’s compelling and captivating interpretations and his dynamic presence and unwavering conviction on the podium. His deep analytical approach to both the music and the composer was especially noted, as well as his meticulous attention to details and focused determination to refining every aspect of the performance.

The conductor’s musical journey has been profoundly influenced by his long-standing mentor Marek Janowski. At Maestro Janowski’s personal request, he also worked as an assistant with the Berliner Philharmoniker, Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, hr-Sinfonieorchester Frankfurt and Dresdner Philharmonie.

Born into a Polish family in Dresden, Mateusz Molęda graduated from the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien in Hannover in the piano class of Arie Vardi, and also studied early music and historically informed performance with Zvi Meniker, one of Nikolaus Harnoncourt’s last pupils. Before his conducting career, he has performed as a pianist on prestigious concert stages in more than 25 countries. In 2021, he received his PhD with a dissertation on polyphonic compositional techniques in Sergei Rachmaninov’s Symphony No. 2 at the Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow.

 

[2024]

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