The primary aim of the festival organised by the Karol Szymanowski Philharmonic in Kraków is to showcase the work of its patron within the broader context of compositions by his contemporaries and pieces from the global symphonic repertoire. This year, the Three Fragments from Poems by Jan Kasprowicz will be juxtaposed with the song cycle Dies irae—set to texts by the same poet and arranged by Stanisław Rzepiela—performed by tenor Piotr Kalina. An orchestral arrangement of the early Etude in B-flat minor will appear alongside Karłowicz’s Eternal Songs and Maciej Fortuna’s Aurora, contemporary double concerto for violin and trumpet (featuring violinist Marta Gidaszewska and the composer himself on trumpet, accompanied by the Opole Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra under the baton of Jakub Chrenowicz). Clarinet works by Karol Rathaus, Mieczysław Weinberg, and Zbigniew Bargielski will be complemented by clarinet arrangements of Mazurkas and Myths (performed by, among others, clarinetist Piotr Lato and pianist Piotr Sałajczyk). The lyrical and tender Litany to the Virgin Mary and Stabat Mater will contrast with Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 “From the New World”, a work in which composer’s memories of the homeland intertwine with a fascination for life across the Atlantic. A festival concert featuring soloists, the Orchestra, and the Choir of the Kraków Philharmonic under the direction of Michał Klauza will also serve to inaugurate the institution’s 82nd artistic season.
17 September 2026, 7 pm
Piotr Kalina – tenor
Olga Tsymbaluk – piano
Magdalena Turek-Kalina – violin
Marek Ulański – viola
Martyna Sołtys – cello
Marek Lewandowski – double bass
Monika Kucharczyk – oboe
Marek Drescher – trumpet
Artur Małecki – percussion instruments
dr hab. Adam Świątek, prof. UJ – lecture (in Polish)
Karol Szymanowski Three Fragments from Poems by Jan Kasprowicz, Op. 5
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Stanisław Rzepiela Dies irae (song cycleto the words by Jan Kasprowicz)
18 September 2026, 7:30 pm
Marta Gidaszewska – violin
Maciej Fortuna – trumpet
Opole Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra
Jakub Chrenowicz – conductor
Karol Szymanowski Etude in B flat minor, Op. 4 No. 3
Maciej Fortuna Aurora Double Concerto for violin, trumpet and orchestra
Mieczysław Karłowicz Eternal Songs, Op. 10
29 September 2026, 7:30 pm
ProSonus Ensemble:
Piotr Lato – clarinet
Wojciech Koprowski – violin
Piotr Sałajczyk – piano
Maciej Zimka – accordion
Polish Clarinet Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries
Karol Rathaus Song of the Autumn for clarinet and piano
Karol Szymanowski Mazurkas for clarinet and piano (arr. Maciej Zimka)
Karol Szymanowski Mythes, Op. 30
Mieczysław Weinberg Sonata, Op. 28 for clarinet and piano
Zbigniew Bargielski Statek szaleńców for clarinet and accordion
Maciej Zimka Out of the Circle for clarinet and piano
2 October 2026, 7:30 pm
3 October 2026, 6 pm
Inauguration of the 82nd aristic season of the Kraków Philharmonic
Joanna Zawartko – soprano
Anna Bernacka – alto
Łukasz Goliński – baritone
Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir
Michał Klauza – conductor
Janusz Wierzgacz – choir preparation
Karol Szymanowski The Litany to the Virgin Mary, Op. 59 for soprano, female choir and orchestra
Karol Szymanowski Stabat Mater, Op. 53 for soprano, alto, baritone, mixed choir and orchestra
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Antonín Dvořák Symphony No. 9 in E minor “From the New World”, Op. 95
