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

Thu, 3 Sep 2026 · 18:00 — Sun, 13 Sep 23:59

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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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.

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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

Il Giardino Armonico is an Italian chamber ensemble specialising in Baroque and early Classical music. Founded in Milan in 1985, it has been led since 1989 by violinist and conductor Giovanni Antonini. The group is known for its energetic historically informed performance style and has collaborated with soloists such as Cecilia Bartoli.

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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