As he opened the current season at the Kraków Philharmonic, its artistic director Charles Olivieri-Munroe promised his audiences that the repertoire will feature a number of musical discoveries. And he is keeping his word, this time presenting music by Sergei Bortkiewicz (1877-1952). Born in Kharkiv to a Polish family, Bortkiewicz was an acclaimed composer, pianist, conductor and pedagogue, yet his works disappeared from concert halls soon after his death.
“I have encountered many beautiful compositions in my career (…) which I want to share, because they are either simply beautiful or they have close ties to Poland’s heritage, but which for some reason have become forgotten,” explains Olivieri-Munroe. On 1 and 2 December, he leads the outstanding Finnish soloist Henri Sigfridsson and the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra in Piano Concerto No. 2 for left hand, composed by Bortkiewicz especially for Paul Wittgenstein who sustained major injuries during the First World War; the pianist was also the recipient of Ravel’s acclaimed Concerto in D major. The programme also includes Berlioz’s Rob Roy overture and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1 in G minor “Winter Dreams”.
Hector Berlioz Rob Roy
Sergei Bortkiewicz Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 28 for left hand
Pyotr Tchaikovsky Symphony No. 1 in G minor Op. 13 “Winter Dreams”
Henri Sigfridsson – piano
Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra
Charles Olivieri-Munroe – conductor