Wratislavia Cantans 2026

Name: Wratislavia Cantans 2026
Start: 2026-09-03T18:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-09-13T23:59:59+02:00
Location: Narodowe Forum Muzyki im. Witolda Lutosławskiego

took place · 3 Sep 2026

National Music Forum of Witold Lutosławski in Wrocław, Poland

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Wratislavia Cantans 2026 — National Music Forum of Witold Lutosławski in Wrocław, Wrocław

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Description was written before the event

The 61st International Wratislavia Cantans Festival named after Andrzej Markowski takes place in Wrocław and Lower Silesia from 3–13 September 2026. The guiding theme of this edition is "Heart of Darkness" by Joseph Conrad. The programme features over 50 concerts of oratorio and cantata music with the participation of, among others, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Il Giardino Armonico, and Paul McCreesh with Gabrieli Consort & Players. The festival is organized by the National Forum of Music named after Witold Lutosławski.

About the festival: Wratislavia Cantans 2026

61st edition

edition number

since 1966

years running

50+

concerts this edition

30 in Wrocław + 20+ in Lower Silesia

concert locations split

Good to know

Runs 11 days: 3-13 September 2026
Tickets 15-150 PLN depending on concert and venue
Early-bird discount: -15 PLN (chamber/church concerts), -20 PLN (NFM main hall)
Additional discounts for holders of the Nasz Wrocław city card
Tickets sold online and at the NFM box office (Narodowe Forum Muzyki, ul. Świdnicka 35)
Venues: NFM main hall, NFM Red Hall, St Mary Magdalene Cathedral, Museum of Pan Tadeusz, Theatre Museum - all in Wrocław
Additional concerts in Lower Silesian towns (Legnica, Świdnica, Kłodzko, Wałbrzych, Jelenia Góra)
10 family/children's events prepared with the NFM Education Centre

What's new

2026-03-19
OperaWire reported the full 2026 programme, confirming Saint-Saëns' 'Samson et Dalila' with Brian Jagde and Anita Rachvelishvili as the opening-night centrepiece.
2026-03-17
Ticket pre-sales opened on 17 March 2026 at 11:00, with early-bird discounts of 15-20 PLN depending on the venue.
2026-03-13
The full programme of the 61st edition was presented at the NFM on 13 March 2026, with the leitmotif 'Smuga cienia' (The Shadow-Line) drawn from Joseph Conrad's novella.
2026-03-13
The Il Giardino Armonico concert 'Sì dolce è'l tormento' (4 September, NFM Red Hall) sold out shortly after tickets went on sale.

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About: Jerzy Maksymiuk

One of Poland's most distinctive podium personalities, Maksymiuk built his reputation on razor-sharp ensemble discipline and a lifelong commitment to new music - conducting premieres by George Benjamin, Harrison Birtwhistle and James MacMillan alongside the standard repertoire. Now in his tenth decade, he remains an active conductor and continues to compose.

Tracks

The Confession of Isobel Gowdie (James MacMillan)World premiere conducted by Maksymiuk in 1990; recording won Gramophone Award for Best Concerto of the Year 1992.

Medtner Piano Concertos Nos. 2 & 3 (with Nikolai Demidenko)Hyperion recording won Gramophone Award for Best Concerto of the Year 1995.

Arbor vitae IIAutobiographical orchestral work by Maksymiuk himself, premiered in Wrocław with the composer conducting.

Sanatorium Under the Sign of the Hourglass (film score)Score for Wojciech Has's 1973 film; cited by Maksymiuk as his finest film music.

Mania (silent film score)85-minute live score for the Pola Negri silent film, performed in London, Paris, Berlin, Warsaw and other cities in 2012.

About: Il Giardino Armonico

Founded in Milan in 1985, Il Giardino Armonico plays 17th- and 18th-century music on period instruments with a physical intensity that has made it one of the most decorated ensembles in early music. Under Giovanni Antonini, the group continues its landmark Haydn2032 cycle while touring Europe's top concert halls.

2×

Grammy Awards won (Best Classical Vocal Performance, with Cecilia Bartoli)

13+

Diapason d'Or awards

Gramophone Awards

Haydn2032 volumes released (of complete Haydn symphonies cycle, target 2032)

What's new

2026-05
Il Giardino Armonico released Haydn2032 Vol. 19: Trauer on Alpha Classics (May 2026), marking the ensemble's 40th anniversary.
2026-07
The ensemble is scheduled for a summer 2026 European tour including concerts in London, Ludwigsburg, Ossiach, Engelhartszell and Kremsmünster.
2026-08
Il Giardino Armonico is booked at the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg and Die Glocke Bremen in late August 2026.

Tour

LondonLudwigsburgOssiachEngelhartszellKremsmünsterHamburgBremen

Tracks

Vivaldi: L'estro armonico (Teldec)Breakthrough recording that established the ensemble's reputation for vivid Vivaldi interpretations

The Vivaldi Album (with Cecilia Bartoli, Decca, 2000)Grammy Award winner for Best Classical Vocal Performance

Sacrificium (with Cecilia Bartoli, Decca, 2009)Grammy Award winner and Platinum Album

Mozart: Violin Concertos Nos. 1-5 (with Isabelle Faust, Harmonia Mundi, 2016)Gramophone Recording of the Year and Le Choc de l'année

Haydn2032 (Alpha Classics, 2014-ongoing)Ongoing complete Haydn symphonies cycle, 19 volumes released as of 2026

Recent shows

Aug 5, 2002 Walburgakerk, Bruges (BE)

About: Paul McCreesh

Paul McCreesh is a British conductor specialising in early music and historically informed performance. He founded the Gabrieli Consort & Players in 1982, with whom he has recorded a wide range of choral and orchestral repertoire from the Renaissance to the Romantic era. He is particularly known for his large-scale reconstructions of historical liturgical and ceremonial music.

About: Gabrieli Consort & Players

Gabrieli Consort & Players is a British vocal and instrumental ensemble specialising in early music, particularly Renaissance and Baroque repertoire. Founded by conductor Paul McCreesh in 1982, the group is acclaimed for its recordings of Venetian polychoral music and works by J. S. Bach, Handel, and Heinrich Schütz.

Wratislavia Cantans 2026

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