Sinfonia Varsovia toured China from 17th to 31st October 2018, appearing in such prestigious venues as the National Centre for the Performing Arts (NCPA) in Beijing or the Shanghai Oriental Art Center (SHOAC) in Shanghai. The concert in Shanghai was part of the Polish focus at the 20-year anniversary edition of the China Shanghai International Arts Festival – one of the largest international art festivals in China.
In the first six concerts, the orchestra was led by Krzysztof Penderecki, who was also celebrating his 85th birthday during the tour, whereas the last two concerts in China were conducted by Maciej Tworek. In the first part of the tour, the solo parts were performed by the world-famous violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter. It was for her that Maestro Penderecki had composed his Violin Concerto No. 2 'Metamorphoses', also included in the tour programme. During the concerts on 30th and 31st October, talented young violinist Yu-Chien Benny Tseng, winner of the second prize of the 15th International Tchaikovsky Competition in the violin category performed with the orchestra.
Sinfonia Varsovia is one of the best-known Polish symphonic orchestras. Since its founding in 1984, it has performed both in Poland and abroad, appearing in the most prestigious concert halls such as New York’s Carnegie Hall, Théatre des Champs Elysées in Paris, the Barbican Center in London or Vienna’s Musikverein. The orchestra played at may renowned festivals, including Salzburg, Gstaad (the Yehudi Menuhin Festival), La Folle Journée, Queen Elisabeth Musical Voyage, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Warsaw Autumn and Chain Festival devoted to Witold Lutosławski. Sinfonia Varsovia has made numerous recordings on compact discs as well as for radio and television. The orchestra boasts a discography of more than 290 albums, many of which have been honoured with prestigious awards. In 1997, Krzysztof Penderecki became the orchestra’s musical director and its artistic director in 2003.
Thanks to the support of the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, Sinfonia Varsovia had already performed in China twice, in 2015 and 2016. The 2018 tour was organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute in the collaboration with Armstrong Music & Arts agency.
The project was co-organised by the Adam Mickiewicz Institute operating under the Culture.pl brand as part of POLSKA 100, the international cultural programme accompanying the centenary of Poland regaining independence.
Financed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland as part of the multi-annual programme NIEPODLEGŁA 2017-2022.
Schedule of the Tour:
Concerts under the baton of Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki / Maestro Maciej Tworek with the German soloist Anne-Sophie Mutter
- 17th October 2018 Beijing, NCPA
- 19th October 2018 Zhengzhou, Henan Art Center
- 21st October 2018 Shanghai, SHOAC (w ramach China Shanghai International Arts Festival)
- 23rd October 2018 Changsha, Changsha Concert Hall
- 26th October 2018 Xiamen, Banlam Grand Theater
- 28th October 2018 Fuzhou, Fujian Grand Theatre
Programme:
Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 7 (conducted by Krzysztof Penderecki)
Krzysztof Penderecki: La Follia (solo performance by Anne-Sofie Mutter)
Krzysztof Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 2 ‘Metamorphoses’ (conducted by Maciej Tworek)
Concerts under the baton of Maestro Maciej Tworek with the Taiwanese soloist Yu-Chien Benny Tseng
- 30th October 2018 Wuhan, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall
- 31st October 2018 Zhuzhou, Shennong Grand Theatre
Programme:
Krzysztof Penderecki: Violin Concerto No. 1
Antonin Dvorak: Symphony No. 7
Ludwig van Beethoven: Coriolan Overture
Sources: own materials, press release, compiled by AO, translated by AW, Sep 2018