The music that we will hear in the spaces of the NFM in the following months during the concerts of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, through the theme, the composer or interpretation, will refer to the ever-inspiring motifs: human fate, the theme of a wanderer and the search for home. Key contexts will be highlighted the concert opening the orchestra’s artistic season – Homo Viator. The works of Witold Lutosławski and Richard Strauss will be conducted by Pinchas Steinberg. To honour Stanisław Skrowaczewski on his birth centenary Bartłomiej Nizioł, Krzysztof Grzybowski and Piotr Sałajczyk will perform the European premiere of the Triple Concerto for violin, clarinet, piano and orchestra by this respected composer and conductor. Soon afterwards, the Wrocław Philharmonic under the direction of Joel Sandelson will partner with one of the most intriguing participants of the recent International Frederic Chopin Piano Competition, the Latvian pianist Georgijs Osokins. Piotr Paleczny, an acclaimed interpreter of Chopin’s music, will present his Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor op. 11 on the eve of Independence Day. The winner of the last Chopin Competition, Bruce Liu, will grace us in the new season, performing Piano Concerto No. 2 in B flat major op. 19 by Ludwig van Beethoven. Krzysztof Jakowicz, a violin virtuoso well known to the Wrocław audience, will present Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Violin Concerto in D major KV 211.

There will also be plenty of attractions during the loudest night of the year. New Year’s Eve will be filled with the music of Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Robert Stolz. Their waltzes, polkas and operetta arias and duets will put everyone welcoming the New Year at the NFM in a sparkling mood.

In May, to Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony will sound, presented by the musicians of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic under the baton Latvia’s Ainārs Rubiķis. Before the famous theme of fate is heard, the musicians of the LutosAir Quintet and the orchestra will play Krzysztof Herdzin’s new piece for the first time. If you want to take a break from music, it’s only by parting with it in style – the Carpe diem concert crowning the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic season, will highlight two wonderful, Romantic symphonies: Symphony No. 3 in D major by Franz Schubert and Symphony No. 4 in G major by Gustav Mahler, under the baton of Jacek Kaspszyk. The latter work, full of paradoxes and various musical symbols, seems to harmonize perfectly with the words of Horace’s ode: “Seize the day, because no one will know what future the gods have in store for us...”.

With fans of the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in mind, a subscription offer has been prepared. In addition to preferential ticket prices, subscribers have the privilege of participating in the meetings of the All Faces of Music series. Inspiring conversations with artists and curators of NFM concerts will introduce you to the musicians’ work and reveal many interesting facts about their lives. This year’s novelty is the Subscription for Young Musicians, addressed to students of music schools and conservatoires, enabling regular attendance in concerts of symphonic music performed by acclaimed artists.

The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra begins a new period in its history, as the outstanding musician Alexander Sitkovetsky takes over as Artistic Director. The programme of their concert opening the season will include works by the great 19th-century masters – Felix Mendelssohn, Max Bruch and Georges Bizet. An important point of the evening will be the presentation of the Silesian Cultural Award 2023 – a distinction for special achievements in literature, fine arts and music, honouring artists living in the region and working to support Silesian cultural heritage. More joyful celebrations will follow: during the New Year’s Gala you will admire the artistry and fanciful approach to music of the Janoska Ensemble, which will perform with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra. Since 2016, this famous family of performers has been recording for the Deutsche Grammophon label. So far three albums with arrangements of works from Bach to Piazzolla have been released. The artists of the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra have many other surprises in store, and we will hear them several times with excellent guest artists. Among them is the winner of the 12th International Henryk Wieniawski Competition, Alena Baeva. In Wrocław, she will play Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E minor. Performed by the Leopoldinum and L.U.C. & Rebel Babel Orchestra, you will hear music from the animated film Chłopi directed by Dorota Kobiela. The Chłopi was produced by the same studio as Loving Vincent which gained great acclaim from audiences around the world. An important point in the calendar of the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra is the performance of Joseph Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 2 in D major with the internationally renowned cellist Daniel Müller-Schott. But that’s not all – the June concert crowning the orchestra’s artistic season will be graced by Mischa Maisky, who, together with the orchestra led by Alexander Sitkovetsky, will present the Arpeggione Sonata in A minor by Franz Schubert, arranged for cello and strings.

The Wrocław Baroque Orchestra conducted by Jarosław during the Vivaldi Forever concert, will share the stage with the outstanding Dutch recorder virtuoso Erik Bosgraaf. Together with the artist known for his unbridled temperament, the musicians will present an extensive all-Vivaldi programme. The orchestra will also perform with Théotime Langlois de Swarte, who has appeared on the stages of the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna’s Musikverein. He is the first Baroque violinist nominated for the Victoires de la Musique Classique 2020 in the category “Soloist Instrumental Revelation”. On one of his precious instruments, together with the Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, he will perform Jean-Marie Leclair’s Violin Concerto in A minor. The concerts of the Academy of Early Music will be no less exciting. As part of the French Academy planned for late February and early March, the musicians of the orchestra, in collaboration with the American harpsichordist Skip Sempé and his ensemble Capriccio Stavagante, will regale the audience to true gems of early music. During one of the concerts, accompanied by the NFM Choir, the musical setting for Jean-Philippe Rameau’s memorial service will be reenacted. During Holy Week, there will Passion according to St Matthew by Johann Sebastian Bach, during which we will hear the famous tenor James Gilchrist as an evangelist. Wrocław Baroque Orchestra together with the NFM Choir will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 in D minor op. 125 – on the 200th anniversary of its first public performance in Vienna in 1824.

Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, led by Andrzej Kosendiak, will present early music too. This autumn, the artists will perform the eight-part Requiem Liturgy by Mykoła Dylecki – a composer, theoretician and versatile musician of the Baroque era. In the upcoming season, the ensemble will focus on promoting music from the era of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, presenting it in Poland and internationally. Also noteworthy is the programme of Les Plaisirs des Muses concert in June, filled with works by Jean de Sainte-Colombe, Étienne Moulinié, and Antoine Boësset.

At the beginning of October, on the International Music Day, the NFM Choir, the NFM Girls’ Choir and the NFM Boys’ Choir, joined by the “Rondo” Vocal Ensemble will perform under the direction of Małgorzata Podzielny and Lionel Sow. The evening will be filled with compositions for all types of choirs. At the end of October, Andrzej Kosendiak will lead the NFM Choir and NFM Wrocław Philharmonic in, among others, Luigi Cherubini’s Requiem in D minor. Just a few days later, the NFM Choir will perform with the Brno Philharmonic and will present the Glagolitic Mass by Leoš Janáček. At the turn of January and February, the NFM choirs, with the NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, will present a medley of melodies from the film Akademia Pana Kleksa (Mr Blot’s Academy), arranged by Michał Ziółkowski. In March, all the NFM choirs together with Yves Castagnet, one of the most respected French organists, will perform Veni Creator, a composition created for this occasion, and the finale of the evening will feature Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem. There will also be a cappella concerts of the NFM Choir, so much liked by the audience. In December, the choir will present Orlando di Lasso’s Prophetiae Sibyllarum, as well as Jonathan Harvey’s Forms of Emptiness, referencing the Heart Sutra and the poetry of Edward Estlin Cummings. In April, we will listen to an exciting programme conducted by Martina Batič: Karol Szymanowski’s Songs from Kurpie will sound alongside, a.o. Frank Martin’s Songs of Ariel. The canvas of the concert ending the choral season will be the figures of women: the biblical bride from the Song of Songs, Saint Cecilia, and Mary. The NFM Choir will perform Le Cantique des cantiques, a masterpiece of 20th-century French choral music written by Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur.

Wrocław will be visited by charismatic chamber musicians of the young generation, led by the winner of the 16th H. Wieniawski Competition, the celebrated Hina Maeda. She will perform Polonaise in D major and Romance sans paroles et Rondo élégant by Henryk Wieniawski. You will also hear a performance of Wojciech Niedziółka, a prize-winner at one of H. Wieniawski Violin Competitions, and a performance of Marta Gidaszewska and Robert Łaguniak – the award-winning Polish Violin Duo. At the end of October, the LutosAir Quintet will present Nighthawks for the first time, a composition by Jan Sanejko inspired by a painting by Edward Hooper. Two premieres feature in the programme of the Lutosławski Quartet in December. They will perform Hanna Kulenty’s String Quartet No. 1 and String Quartet No. 3 “Screaming Into the Void” by Donald R. Davis – an American composer, known for his music to the Matrix film series. The piece is dedicated to the memory of Krzysztof Penderecki and the victims of the war in Ukraine. The musicians of the Polish Cello Quartet, as part of the Chopin Project concert, will present some intriguing arrangements of Chopin’s music for four cellos. During his January visit to the NFM, Bruce Liu will appear on stage not only with the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic. He will also play a recital, featuring among others the Piano Sonata No. 1 in B minor by Frideric Chopin. The chamber season will end with a concert of the German Brass band, one of the best brass bands in the world! The artists will visit the NFM for the first time.

These are only some highlights of a wealth of programmes we have prepared for the 2023/2024 season. We encourage you to sign up for Music Lover’s Card. Holders of the Card are entitled to special promotions, in addition to gifts and regular discounts. We also invite you to become a member of the NFM Friends Club or join the Connoisseur Chair programme – a package for companies and individuals who want to mark their presence with a plaque on a chair/chairs in the NFM Main Hall and enjoy a wealth of benefits, including their own dedicated seats in our venue.

See you at NFM!