Stars of classical music at the ICE Kraków Congress Centre? The latest instalment of the ICE Classic cycle kicks off in January! It will be a time of great names and great emotions!
We start on 17 January, traditionally at the Krzysztof Penderecki Auditorium Hall, with Sir Simon Rattle and his London Symphony Orchestra.
Sir Simon is one of the finest and most charismatic conductors working today, using his baton like a magic wand to transform sounds into pure musical gold. During the 1980s and 1990s he helped to turn the rather provincial City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra into an internationally-acclaimed ensemble. The British artist went on to lead the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, spending 16 years honing their incredible artistic skill and world-famous velvety sound.
Sir Simon has been in charge of London’s longest-running orchestra since September 2017; the iconic musicians famously select their own conductors, with past maestros including André Previn, Claudio Abbado and Valery Gergiev. Led by the conductor, the London Symphony Orchestra has been universally acclaimed and their second season together features influences from contemporary music, folk inspirations and unexpected combinations. The concert at ICE Kraków will be the perfect illustration: we will hear Béla Bartók’s unsettling Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta (used as part of the soundtrack to the cult horror The Shining), and Anton Bruckner’s Symphony No. 6; rooted in Romanticism, parts of the piece feature unmistakeable elements of Expressionism.
Other guests of this year’s ICE Classic cycle will be the conductor Philippe Herreweghe with the violin virtuoso Isabelle Faust and the Orchestre des Champs-Elysées (17 March), and the acclaimed countertenor Philippe Jaroussky (3 July). “We present concerts worth travelling the width and breath of Poland for,” promises Izabela Helbin, director of the Krakow Festival Office. (Barbara Skowrońska)
