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The Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra (Zespół kameralny Filharmonii Narodowej, = WPCO) draws upon the rich and old tradition of chamber music making among artists from Warsaw Philharmonic. The first chamber ensembles were formed at the beginning of the 20th century. In the 1960’s and 1970’s, the National Philharmonic Chamber Musicians ensemble under Karol Teutsch achieved success playing concerts worldwide. Other ensembles made up of musicians from Warsaw Philharmonic also gained international recognition. In the 1990’s, the string ensemble gave concerts with eminent soloists such as Konstanty A. Kulka and Nigel Kennedy, making records and TV programmes.
During the celebration of Warsaw Philharmonic's centenary, the Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra was reactivated under the patronage of Director Antoni Wit. The ensemble consists of leading instrumentalists from Warsaw Philharmonic, including former members of Karol Teutsch's ensemble. The artistic director of the orchestra is Jan Lewtak, who graduated from the F. Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw after violin studies under Zenon Brzewski and Mirosław Ławrynowicz. He is the winner of several violin competitions and of the Radio and Television Committee Award, an artist who has already made a significant contribution to chamber music in Poland.
The Warsaw Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra has performed with such prominent soloists as Salvatore Accardo, Evelyn Glennie, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Krzysztof and Jakub Jakowicz, Adam Makowicz, Jadwiga Kotnowska, Ryszard Groblewski, Edward Zienkowski, Rafał Kwiatkowski, Mariusz Patyra and Agata Szymczewska. It has also started co-operation with major music companies, organizers of prestigious festivals and composers of chamber music.
In April 2003 the Orchestra recorded Antonio Vivaldi's The Four Seasons under Antoni Wit, with Jan Lewtak as soloist. In 2008 they recorded the same work for Lipinski Sound label under Jan Lewtak's musical direction, with Mariusz Patyra as soloist.
In February 2009 the orchestra gave a special concert to mark the centenary of the birth of Grażyna Bacewicz, with an all-Bacewicz programme including first performances of her two recently discovered compositions: Sinfonietta (1929) and Symphony (1946). In March 2009 they had the honour of inaugurating the festival in Al Ain (United Arab Emirates), participating in this event for the second time, alongside such outstanding ensembles as the Chamber Orchestra and the Wiener Philharmoniker under Zubin Mehta. |
