Garrick Ohlsson, photo by Kacper Pempel
NFM - Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra heads to the US with a series of concerts under the baton of Maestro Jacek Kaspszyk. Over three weeks in February, the Orchestra has traveled the country playing 15 concerts with various programmes in 7 American states, beginning at the Kravis Center in Florida and crowning its tour with the final performance at the Centennial Hall in Tucson, Arizona
Music by Polish composers presented during the series of concerts includes Frederick Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Karol Szymanowski’s Concert Overture and Witold Lutosławski’s Little Suite. The Orchestra also performs Ludwig van Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, two works by Antonin Dvorak (Cello Concerto in B minor and Symphony No. 7 in D minor) and Johannes Brahms’s Piano Quartet in G minor arranged for orchestra by Arnold Schonberg. Joining in the project is Garrick Ohlsson, a world-famous pianist, and the first American to win the Frederic Chopin International Piano Competition in Warsaw in 1970. The other soloist is Maciej Mlodawski, the Orchestra's leader of cellos.
The orchestra is large - the roster lists 93 names. Yet it is very responsive. The pianissimo passages are as quiet as possible and yet they are heard; the fortissimos take on a full, grand sound. The ensemble skillfully balances its sound - the winds do not overwhelm the strings, and its range of dynamic is wide.
The Orchestra's first performance at the Kravis Center on February 8th met with the critical acclaim from Joseph Youngblood of the palmbeachdailynews.com:
The concert opened with Szymanowski’s Concert Overture in E, Opus 12. This is an early composition by Szymanowski, written when he was but 23 years old; the work is very much in the style of Richard Strauss. The piece calls for the full orchestra, which is expertly deployed by Szymanowski. We were given a chance to hear the orchestra at its quietest and at its fullest, and a grand sound it was.
Shouts of "Bravo!" were rewarded by one encore: Frederic Chopin’s Grand valse brillante in E flat, Opus 18, dating from 1832, and the earliest of the waltzes published during Chopin’s lifetime. (...) The concert concluded with Dvorák’s Symphony No. 7 in D minor, Opus 70. The horn and oboe solos in the quiet opening were well presented. The orchestra was totally responsive to the conductor’s wishes, producing a fluid sound and balanced tuttis. The wind choir shined in the dramatic second movement, with clear solos by the flute, horn and oboe. The ending of this movement was marked by a total fade out. The rhythm of the scherzo shifted between six notes phrased as three groups of two and then as two groups of three. The flute solo was notable here. The finale was energetic.
"NFM" in the Orchestra’s name stands for "National Forum of Music" - one of the world’s most prestigious concert halls set to have its grand opening in the autumn of 2012 in Wrocław. The National Forum of Music will include the main concert hall with 1800 seats, three chamber halls, rehearsal rooms, a conference and office space, a recording studio, and an exhibition space. NFM will be the home venue for the Wrocław Philharmonic Orchestra, Wrocław Philharmonic Choir, Wrocław Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum, Wrocław Baroque Orchestra, and the Lutosławski Quartet of Wrocław. It will also host major music festivals including Wratislavia Cantans, Musica Polonica Nova, Musica Electronica Nova, Leo Festival, Forum Musicum and Jazztopad.
The venue's excellent acoustics are being designed by Artec Consultants Inc. (New York). As a remarkable architectural concept designed by APA Kurylowicz & Associates, the National Forum of Music will surely become a symbol of Wrocław and a magnet for dazzling artistic events.
SCHEDULE OF THE NFM WROCŁAW PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA UNITED STATES TOUR:
Wednesday, 8th of February, 2012
8 pm, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Thursday, 9th of February, 2012
2 pm, Kravis Center, West Palm Beach, FL
Friday, 10th of February, 2012
8 pm, Arsht Center Saturday, Miami, FL
Saturday, 11th of February, 2012
7.30 pm, Community Church, Vero Beach, FL
Sunday, 12th of February, 2012
7.30 pm, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL
Monday, 13th of February, 2012
8 pm, Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL
Wednesday, 15th of February, 2012
7.30 pm, Marina Civic Center, Panama City, FL
Thursday, 16th of February, 2012
8 pm, University of Georgia, Athens, GA
Friday, 17th of February, 2012
7.30 pm, Peace Center for the Performing Arts, Greenville, SC
Sunday, 19th of February, 2012
6 pm, Wentz Concert Hall Naperville, IL
Tuesday, 21st of February, 2012
7.30 pm, Gallagher-Bluedorn Hall, Cedar Falls, IA
Thursday, 23rd of February, 2012
8 pm, Great Hall – Valley Performing Arts Center – CSU, Northridge, CA
Friday, 24th of February, 2012
8 pm, Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts , Cerritos, CA
Saturday, 25th of February, 2012
8 pm, Piper Theater – Scottsdale Center, Scottsdale, AZ
Sunday, 26th of February, 2012
6.30 pm, Centennial Hall, Tucson, AZ
Source:
filharmonia.wroclaw.pl,
www.palmbeachdailynews.com,
www.opus3artists.com