The program: Witold LutoslawskiLittle Suite Fryderyk Chopin Piano Concerto No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 21 Antonin DvorakSymphony No. 8 in G Major, Op. 88
The rich, handsomely blended sound of the Warsaw strings... Mr. Wit affectionately molded and shaped phrases.- New York Times, 2008 Ms. Avdeeva... performed with the requisite technique here, blending a muscular approach with an ability to tease out Chopin's singing lines expressively. - New York Times, 2011 The Polish Cultural Institute New York is proud to co-present the Warsaw Philharmonic and Maestro Antoni Witat the University of Massachusetts Amherst Fine Arts Center on October 22 as part of their 17-concert US tour that begins on October 19th in Worcester, MA and ends in San Francisco on November 12th. The orchestra will be joined by 25-year-old Yulianna Avdeeva, the 2010 winner of the 16th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw. The first woman to win this competition in 45 years, she was also awarded the Krystian Zimmerman Prize for the best sonata performance. When the Warsaw Philharmonic gave its inaugural concert in 1901, the soloist was the world famous pianist, composer, and future statesman, Ignacy Jan Paderewski. Over the years the orchestra has attracted such guest performers as Kurt Masur, Yehudi Menuhin, Mstislav Rostropovich, Anne-Sophie Mutter, Lang Lang, Maurizio Pollini, Arthur Rubinstein, and Igor Stravinsky. The Warsaw Philharmonic has performed in the major concert halls and festivals of five continents, winning worldwide appreciation and popularity. The recording achievements of the orchestra under the baton of Antoni Wit have garnered many prestigious awards, including several Grammy nominations as well as Fryderyk Awards given by the Polish Phonographic Academy. Antoni Wit has been the managing and artistic director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir since January 2002. One of Polands most highly regarded Polish conductors, he has performed in nearly all the major world musical centers, conducting such leading symphony orchestras as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Philharmonia, BBC London, and many others. Maestro Wit has made over 180 recordings, his collaboration with Naxos resulting in the release of over 50 discs of Polish music. He is one of the few artists in the world whose CDs have sold over three million copies. Following her sensational win of the First Prize at the 2010 Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Yulianna Avdeeva has given debut performances with the New York Philharmonic under Alan Gilbert in Warsaw and New York, and with the NHK Symphony Orchestra under Charles Dutoit in Tokyo. Yulianna Avdeevas repertoire spans a wide range of music from Bach to the 20th century. She has earned prizes at many international competitions including the Bremen Piano Contest 2003, the Concours de Genève 2006, and the Arthur Rubinstein Competition in Poland. The tour is organized by Columbia Artists Management, Inc., with additional support for the Amherst concert from the Polish Cultural Institute New York.
