THE MAESTRO in OUR MIDST Prominent Polish Conductor Antoni Wit Has Striven to Keep the Polish Repertory Alive Throughout His Illustrious Career
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Antoni Wit THE MAESTRO IN OUR MIDST Prominent Polish conductor Antoni Wit has striven to keep the Polish repertory alive throughout his illustrious career. We take a look at the achievements of the acclaimed conductor, ahead of his performances with the Symphony Orchestra of India. By Beverly Pereira MESSIAS JOÃO | MÚSICA DA CASA hen the Warsaw Philharmonic ensemble performed close to 600 concerts, embarked Having managed and conducted a host of renowned with the Silver Cross of Merit in Poland and had the Orchestra made its debut at on international tours and contributed an astonishingly Polish and international orchestras, one wonders distinction of being named Chevalier of the French the BBC Proms, in August large catalogue of recordings – almost 100 albums – whether Wit has observed any obvious differences in Legion of Honour for his services in the promotion of 2013, the evening was charged to the Naxos recording label. Between 1987 and 1992, orchestral personalities. “When I was much younger, French music. with a sense of serendipity and he was simultaneously engaged with the Orquesta I was able to see more differences in orchestras, first Come this year, the maestro says he has plans to synchronicity. The orchestra Filarmónica de Gran Canaria as its artistic director. of all because of the nationalities of their musicians. record Catalan music. Besides recording in Barcelona performed Witold Lutosławski’s He also taught conducting at the Fryderyk Chopin Now, with globalisation, there in 2018, he is looking forward Concerto for Orchestra – University of Music in Warsaw from 1998 through 2014. are fewer differences. Orchestras to the release of a recording W incidentally composed for the All this, while actively embracing the schedules and are more international, but some A champion of Polish of Brahms concertos (violin very same orchestra, albeit from 1950-1954. Fittingly, demands that his international career called for. of the orchestras still have their music by both living and and double) that he had it was also the farewell concert of the prestigious Pole In an interview given in 2000, he said, “It became own tradition and personality. An recorded this year with the conductor Antoni Wit, the orchestra’s artistic director of my day-to-day work to perform Polish contemporary example of this would be German, late composers, Antoni DSO Berlin. Wit will also make 12 years. A champion of Polish music by both living and classical music. Because I perform it much more often London, Russian and Japanese Wit has held many his India debut, when he plays late composers, Wit has held many such distinguished than other conductors, I feel strongly for this field but I orchestras,” he explains. distinguished positions for the very first time with positions over the years. The award-winning conductor never treated it as a professional duty. I always thought over the years the Symphony Orchestra of currently holds the post of music director of the that it is the mission of Polish radio orchestras to Awards and distinctions India at the opening of the Orquesta Sinfónica de Navarra and honorary conductor promote Polish works of both living and late composers. Among his seven Grammy- Spring 2018 season. “I have of the Krakow Philharmonic Orchestra. This is why this music is so important in what I do.” nominated recordings are Penderecki’s Saint Lucas’ two demanding programmes, Wagner and Strauss, and His intense and inventive interpretations of the Polish Passion (2004) and Karol Szymanowski’s Stabat Mater I am looking forward to working with the Symphony repertory are well depicted in the many world previews Deciphering orchestral personalities (2008). But it was his Naxos recording of Penderecki’s Orchestra of India – to compare them with the best of compositions by Bronisław Kazimierz Przybylski (A Wit has conducted major orchestras throughout Europe Fonogrammi, Horn Concerto, Partita, The Awakening of orchestras I have done the same or similar programmes Varsovie), Wojciech Kilar (Carillon) and Jacek Domagała such as the Royal Philharmonic, Dresden Philharmonic, Jacob and Anaklasis that won him a Grammy in 2013. with in the past. I am also extremely happy to do An (Choralis), and in his notable 2008 recording of Krzysztof Tonhalle Orchester Zürich, Filarmonica della Scala, Having recorded well over 200 albums, Wit is one of the Alpine Symphony by Strauss in Mumbai, a piece I [have Penderecki’s Symphony No. 7 with the Warsaw National the Philharmonia and BBC symphony orchestras, and few artistes worldwide whose albums have sold over done] more than 30 times with different orchestras – Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir that was nominated the Cleveland Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de five million copies – one of the many distinctions he can and always with great success.” for a Grammy award. Montréal, Seoul Philharmonic and China Philharmonic be credited with. His recordings with Poland’s renowned Orchestra, among several others outside of Europe. orchestras have also been listed as soundtracks to Antoni Wit will conduct the Symphony Orchestra of Learning from the greats Besides guest conducting at several coveted concert prominent films, includingShutter Island and The India on 11th February and 16th February at the Jamshed Born in Krakow, Poland, in 1944, he remembers his halls, he is also a frequent guest at key music festivals. Exorcist. The master conductor was also honoured Bhabha Theatre. mother often remarking about his affinity for music when he was as young as six. He was enrolled in music Wit has conducted school, where he played the piano and violin, and showed major orchestras throughout Europe interest in the theory of music and in composition. Wit later studied under the tutelage of renowned Polish conductors Henryk Czyż and Penderecki at the Krakow Academy of Music, before training at the École Normale de Musique in Paris under Pierre Dervaux and later studying composition with Nadia Boulanger between 1967 and 1968. Surprisingly, the conductor, who would soon become a national legacy and highly regarded international star, went on to study law at the oldest Polish university two years before he began conducting. “The study was interesting for me, but looking back, it’s a pity that I did not study more scores at that time,” he says. Besides Czyż, Wit counts the esteemed Polish conductor Witold Rowicki among his early influences in the field of conducting. When Wit took home the top prize in the Herbert von Karajan competition in 1971, Rowicki appointed him as assistant conductor at the Warsaw Philharmonic. Soon after, he took over as artistic director of the Pomeranian Philharmonic between 1974 and 1977, before he assumed the directorial post of the Krakow-based Orchestra and Choir of Polish Radio and Television with which he premiered many important works. A lasting relationship However, it was undoubtedly his association with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice that took his career to new heights. During his tenure of 17 years, from 1983 to 2000, Wit and the esteemed 14 • January 2018 NCPA NCPA January 2018 • 15.