The Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra had rather a difficult start to life. Concert work dispersed between several ensembles was brought together at the initiative of the Workers’ Music Society, the founding of which, in 1948, marks the beginning of the ensemble’s activities. Yet the orchestra had to work a long time to secure its own home: after it spent years performing in the left wing of the Municipal National Council, in 2014 the municipal authorities decided to restore the old Konzerthaus, which the Szczecin Philharmonic came to be identified with. Over the course of its 75-year history, the orchestra has presented its listeners with a host of world-famous works. It has worked with many outstanding soloists, such as Krystian Zimerman, Rafał Blechacz, Lidia Grychtołowna, Bartłomiej Nizioł, Kevin Kenner, Maurizio Pollini, Mischa Maisky, Dina Yoffe, Ingolf Wunder and Eric Lu.
Artistic director since 2018 has been the charismatic Norwegian conductor Rune Bergmann. During the concert at the Warsaw Philharmonic, it will be presenting a truly Scandinavian programme: Edvard Grieg’s Piano Concerto in A minor, in which the solo part will be played by Anna Fedorova, as well as both of the Peer Gynt suites.
Jan Lech
