Strings Festiwal Zielona Góra for encore - Masters of Polish Violin

Performers:

Finalist of the Wieniawski competition

FZ Symphony Orchestra

Maciej Kotarba — conductor

Sławomir Kozłowski - conducting

Programa:

W. Maliszewski — Legend, Op. 31

H. Wieniawski — Violin Concerto No. 1 or 2

J. Brahms — Symphony No. 4 in E minor, Op.98

Tickets: 80/60

Subscription concert

The evening will be opened by Witold Maliszewski's Legend op. 31 — one of the most beautiful works of Polish late Romanticism. The composition captivates with its moodiness, rich colors of the orchestra and painterly narration, leading the listener through a world full of mystery, lyricism and emotional contrasts. The central point of the concert will be the 1st or 2nd Violin Concerto by Henryk Wieniawski, interpreted by the finalist of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition — one of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world, which has been setting the direction of development of world violinistics for nearly a hundred years. The finalists of the competition are among the most outstanding young violinists of their generation, and their performances are a harbinger of international careers. Wieniawski's concerts delight with extraordinary virtuosity, singing cantillery and romantic expression, remaining among the most important positions in the violin repertoire.

The finale of the evening will be the 4th Symphony in E minor Op. 98 by Johannes Brahms — the composer's last symphonic work, considered one of the most outstanding achievements of 19th century music. It combines classical form discipline with deep emotionality, and the monumental finale in the form of passacaglia is the true culmination of Brahms's symphonic work.

The concert takes place as part of the official Winners' Tour of the 17th Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition in Poznań. The competition is organized by the Henryk Wieniawski Music Society and co-organized by the National Institute of Music and Dance with the funds of the Minister of Culture and National Heritage. The winner's tour is coordinated by Sonora Music.

SFZ — Strings Festival Zielona Góra

Strings Festival Zielona Góra is one of the most interesting string festivals in Poland, continuing the more than 30-year tradition of “Masters of Polish Violinistics”, during which eminent artists such as Wanda Wiłkomirska, Krzysztof Jakowicz and Bartłomiej Nizioł hosted on stage. Since 2024, the festival has been operating under a new name — Strings Festival Zielona Góra — emphasizing its international character.

The upcoming edition will begin on October 2 with the concert “From the high C”. The performers will be: Tymoteusz Bies — piano, Marcin Markowicz — violin, Maciej Kułakowski — cello and FZ Symphony Orchestra conducted by Rafał Janiak. The programme will include: Ludwig van Beethoven's Triple Concerto in C major for violin, cello and piano, Op. 56, and Johannes Brahms's Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68. “Crescendo na stryczki” is a concert scheduled for October 9, presenting a variety of sounds of string orchestra and virtuoso violin literature. Maria Machowska — violin — will perform together with the FZ Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Pablo Urbina. The program will include: String Quartet in D minor by Stanisław Moniuszko,

“Eine kleine Nachtmusik” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Serenade in E minor for Strings Op. 20 by Edward Elgar and 2nd Violin Concerto Op. 61 by Karol Szymanowski. The concert will combine classical elegance, romantic lyricism

and Polish music of the 20th century, exposing the beauty of the sound of string instruments. “Pink October” is the title of a unique concert that will take place on October 15. The soloist of the evening will be Robert Bachara, accompanied by the FZ String Orchestra. One of the most famous works of Baroque music — “Four Seasons” Op. 8 by Antonio Vivaldi — will sound, showing the beauty of nature and the variability of the seasons. The concert will be moderated by Agnieszka Trzeciakiewicz, journalist of Polish Radio and president of the Gabriela Kownacki Oncology Foundation, who will give a lecture “Onkostory”, using fragments of the author's unconventional conversations with patients, doctors, rehabilitators and psychologists facing oncological disease. The next installment of Strings Festival Zielona Góra will be the concert “Vivaldi vs Piazzolla”, showing a fascinating dialogue between Baroque music and contemporary tango. Robert Bachara and Tassilo Probst will perform at the concert on 16 October, accompanied by the FZ String Orchestra under the baton of Jakub Grzybowski. The concert will begin with the premiere of Ignacy Zalewski's work, and the dialogue will be accompanied by the famous series “Four Seasons” (“Le quattro stagioni”) by Antonio Vivaldi and “Seasons” (“Estaciones Porteñas”) by Astor Piazzolla. The concert will combine two musical images of the seasons, presenting a contrast between baroque elegance and the passionate world of Argentine tango. On October 23, in the concert entitled “Echo of memories”, the soloist will be the outstanding violinist Robert Kwiatkowski, who together with the FZ Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Sergey Simakov will perform the Violin Concerto in A major KV 219 Wolfgang The Ganges of Amadeus Mozart. The program will also include Bedřich Smetana's symphonic poem “Vltava” and Franz Schubert's Seventh Symphony in B minor “Unfinished”. The final concert of Strings Festival Zielona Góra will be the Oratory Concert, scheduled for October 30. This solemn conclusion of the festival will bring together the forces of the orchestra, choir and soloists in the premiere of the new work. There will be:

Magdalena Stefaniak — soprano, Adrian Domarecki — tenor and Adrian Janus — baritone, and they will be accompanied by the FZ Symphony Orchestra and the FZ Choir. The whole will be led by Agnieszka Franków-Żelazny. Choir preparation: Martyna Kozanecka. The program includes the premiere of Magdalena Cynk's “Requiem”, commissioned as part of the program “Composer's Orders”. On 21 and 22 November, in the “SFZ na bis” series, there will be exceptional concerts with the participation of the finalist of the Henryk Wieniawski International Violin Competition, accompanied by the FZ Symphony Orchestra conducted by Maciej Kotarba. The program will include Witold Maliszewski's “Legend” Op. 31, full of lyricism, and Violin Concerto No. 1 in F minor, Op. 14

Henryk Wieniawski — one of the most outstanding works of Polish violin literature, which is a real test of virtuosity and musical maturity of the soloist. As part of the SFZ Festival, 8 concerts are planned.