The beginnings of the opera orchestra in Warsaw go back to the activity of the National Theatre, headed by Wojciech Bogusławski. At that time the opera company was headed by two renowned Polish composers and conductors: Józef Elsner and Karol Kurpiński. The latter also became the first director of the Teatr Wielki, opened in the year 1833. Subsequently the orchestra was directed by the eminent Italian conductor Jan Quattrini and Stanisław Moniuszko, the father of Polish national opera, and in our century by such conductors as Emil Młynarski, Artur Rodziński and Zdzisław Górzyński.
After World War II began the laborious process of shaping and perfection of what was to become largest opera orchestra in Poland. This allowed the orchestra to take on variegated and ambitious artistic projects. The orchestra was conducted by leading Polish conductors, including Witold Rowicki, Bohdan Wodiczko, Jan Krenz, Jerzy Semkow, Mieczysław Mierzejewski, Henryk Czyż, Antoni Wit, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Bogusław Madey, Antoni Wicherek, Robert Satanowski, Kazimierz Kord, Grzegorz Nowak, Andrzej Straszyński, Tadeusz Wojciechowski and Jacek Kaspszyk. The orchestra also performed many times under the direction of such eminent foreign conductors as Nello Santi, Alberto Zedda, Heinz Fricke, Hans Svarovsky, Gerhard Geist, Dzhansug Kachidze, George Alexander Albrecht, Werner Seitzer, Michael Zilm, Siegfried Köhler, Elio Boncompagni, José Maria Florencio Júnior, Tiziano Severini, Enrique Diemecke, Paul Connelly, Chikara Imamura, Marc Minkowski, Valery Gergiev .
The orchestra went on a series of tours abroad playing opera and ballet performances, as well as symphonic concerts. It visited various cities, including Berlin, Bonn, Bregenz, Brussels, Bucharest, Lisbon, Luxembourg, Madrid, Monte Carlo, Moscow, Paris, Sofia, Tel-Aviv and recently also in Japan. It also participated in music festivals in Xanten, Carcassonne, Thessaloniki and the Mai Festwoche in Wiesbaden, where it received the Golden Quill in 1972 for the performance of Verdi's "Otello" under the direction of Jan Krenz.
The orchestra made a number of recordings, including Beethoven's 9th symphony, Brahms' 2nd symphony, Stanisław Moniuszko's "Halka" and "The Haunted Manor", Modest Mussorgsky's "Boris Godunov", highlights of Giuseppe Verdi's "Il Trovatore" and Charles Gounod's "Faust" and others. It also played numerous symphonic and oratorio music concerts, performing works by such composers as Mozart, Rossini, Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler.
ORCHESTRA OF THE TEATR WIELKI - POLISH NATIONAL OPERA IN 2010
Music Director: Tadeusz Kozłowski
Conductors: Bogdan Hoffmann, Andrzej Straszyński, Evgeny Volynsky
Assistant conductors: Grzegorz Berniak, Marta Kluczyńska, Wojciech Siemianowski, Iwona Sowińska-Fruhtrunk
1st Violins: Stanisław Tomanek (First Concertmaster), Sylwia Konopka (Concertmaster), Łukasz Błaszczyk (Deputy Concertmaster), Małgorzata Czajkowska-Tomanek, Piotr Stawski, Lidia Wilczyńska, Jolanta Maciejewska, Justyna Kasperek, Alicja Tomków, Piotr Kaniuga, Justyna Rogozińska-Czeżyk, Włodzimierz Orłowski, Elżbieta Schatz-Dąbrowska, Andrzej Majewski, Anna Bartoszewicz-Kozłowska, Teresa Tadzik, Alina Gawlik, Barbara Kowalska, Beata Kosewska, Katarzyna Lech-Kapituła;
2nd Violins: Agnieszka Zdebska, Maciej Przestrzelski, Adriana Błaszczak, Magdalena Sokal, Jacek Michałowicz, Agnieszka Jackowska-Kobiela, Magdalena Janiak, Małgorzata Zdunek, Adam Kublik, Jan Kacperczyk, Ewa Michalska, Urszula Małecka, Magdalena Kisielińska, Liliana Duda, Józef Karolak, Katarzyna Demus;
Violas: Andrzej Szymański, Dorota Sapiecha-Sroczyńska, Dariusz Wachnik, Igor Kabalewski, Tomasz Turski, Marta Straszyńska, Bogusława Zatorska, Krzysztof Zimak, Beata Prylińska, Jolanta Pałka, Justyna Rychlik, Irena Chudzik-Jendrysiak, Andrzej Rzążewski;
Cellos: Marek Jankowski (Concertmaster), Piotr Hausenplas (Concertmaster), Jadwiga Traczyk-Pazdrowska, Robert Karpiński, Rafał Kobiela, Jacek Stankiewicz, Tomasz Błaszczak, Paweł Wojciechowski, Alfred Wiltos, Wojciech Sławiński;
Double-basses: Stanisław Glinka, Kazimierz Jendrysiak, Adam Kotula, Michał Sobuś, Zbigniew Górski, Maciej Muczke, Michał Woźniak, Adam Rakowski, Grzegorz Dymek;
Flutes: Robert Nalewajka, Agnieszka Prosowska-Iwicka, Grażyna Zbijowska, Dorota Puchnowska-Aftyka, Marcin Kamiński, Marcin Stawiszyński ;
Oboes: Sylwester Sobola, Przemysław Nalewajka, Artur Jackowski, Piotr Zacny, Jacek Rymarz, Sebastian Aleksandrowicz;
Clarinets: Mariusz Głębocki, Bogdan Kraski, Krzysztof Zbijowski, Krzysztof Mastalerski, Marek Szaparkiewicz, Jarosław Buraczyński;
Bassoons: Artur Kasperek, Krzysztof Brych, Michał Wawrzyniak, Stanisław Jastrzębski, Rafał Zason;
French horns: Tomasz Bińkowski, Cezary Falkowski, Igor Szeligowski, Grzegorz Błaszczyk, Grzegorz Żelazko, Andrzej Kiljanek, Bogusław Wróbel, Marek Michalec;
Trumpets: Mieczysław Latawiec, Krzysztof Bednarczyk, Kazimierz Adamski, Małgorzata Dzikowska, Maciej Woleński, Jacek Brzózka, Paweł Kraski;
Trombones: Piotr Wawreniuk, Tomomasa Ueyama, Piotr Dąbrowski, Michał Kiljan, Mariusz Opaliński, Rafał Piłasiewicz;
Tubas: Miller Roman, Eugeniusz Gumuła;
Harps: Grażyna Strzeszewska-Lis, Barbara Witkowska, Anna Piechura-Gabryś;
Piano: Ryszard Szubert;
Percussion instruments: Henryk Mikołajczyk, Krzysztof Szmańda, Rafał Kucharski, Katarzyna Bojaryn, Paweł Głębicki, Jan Smoczyński;
Orchestra coaches: Grzegorz Żelazko, Piotr Kaniuga;
Orchestra library: Dariusz Szewczyk.
Photo: Paweł Rosłon
e-mail: orkiestra@teatrwielki.pl
