• Elias David Moncado (Germany) – violin
• Dainius Pavilionis (Lithuania) – conductor
• The Toruń Symphony Orchestra
• Urszula Guźlecka – host 

Programme:

• G. Bacewicz - Overture for Symphony Orchestra (celebrating the 115th anniversary of the composer’s birth)
• M. Bruch – Violin Concerto in G minor Op. 26 no. 1
• Z. Noskowski - “From the Life of a Nation”: Symphonic Variations on Chopin’s Prelude in A major (1901) (to mark the 115th anniversary of the composer’s death)

The programme for the inaugural concert will showcase two distinct facets of symphonic music. The evening begins with a neoclassical touch in the Overture by Grażyna Bacewicz, a distinguished 20th-century composer whose 115th birthday we commemorate this year. The concert will close with the late-Romantic grandeur of Zygmunt Noskowski’s Overture. Between these works, audiences will be treated to Max Bruch’s exquisitely virtuosic and romantic Violin Concerto.

Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture for Orchestra, composed in 1943, reflects a time of great turmoil as it was written during the German occupation, after Bacewicz had returned to Warsaw from Paris. Premiered in 1945 at the Festival of Polish Contemporary Music in Kraków, the piece is vibrant and multifaceted, “as if propelled by the wings of driving rhythmic energy”, as Stefan Kisielewski noted. This short but dynamic work, initially conceived as an introduction to a larger piece, encapsulates the diverse expressive capabilities of a full symphony orchestra.

Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Op. 26, originally composed in 1866, underwent significant revisions before taking its final form in 1867, as the composer was not entirely content with it after its completion. The young composer, who was already well-regarded at that time, sought the advice of the legendary violinist Joseph Joachim, whose influence helped shape the concerto into the masterpiece we know today. The work is a brilliant showcase for the soloist, filled with folk-inspired melodies, a touch of melancholy, and ample opportunities for technical display.

Zygmunt Noskowski's “From the Life of a Nation” Symphonic Variations on Chopin’s Prelude in A major, completed in 1901, offers a series of symphonic variations on Chopin’s music. The concept was not entirely new—similar “patriotic variations” had been composed a century earlier by François-Joseph Gossec, based on the theme of the Marseillaise. However, in Noskowski’s work, the range of variation techniques is far more extensive and sophisticated. The piece, set within a late-Romantic musical milieu, explores a wide range of patriotic emotions, reflecting the composer’s deep love for his homeland, which was still under partition. Due to Russian censorship, the work was premiered in 1902 under the more ambiguous title From Life, yet the piece’s intended message was unmistakable to Polish audiences of the time. 

Gosia Fraser

Mecenas Główny: Gmina Miasta Toruń
Dofinansowano ze środków Ministra Kultury i Dziedzictwa Narodowego pochodzących z Funduszu Promocji Kultury w ramach programu „Muzyka”, realizowanego przez Narodowy Instytut Muzyki i Tańca
Dofinansowano z Funduszy Europejskich
Partner Główny: Samorząd Województwa Kujawsko-Pomorskiego
Mecenas Kultury - Główny Sponsor: PGE Polska Grupa Energetyczna S.A.
Mecenas Strategiczny: Strabag Sp. z o.o.
Mecenas: TZMO S.A.
Sponsor: Urbitor Sp. z o.o.
Współfinansowano ze środków Związku Artystów Wykonawców STOART
Partner motoryzacyjny: Toyota Bednarscy
Partnerzy: Cukiernia Sowa, MZK w Toruniu Sp. z o.o., Ruch Muzyczny, Iga Sarzyńska Wzrusza Toruń, Pneuma Jarosław Pawlicki, Pirmedia Sp. z o.o., Maciej Zieliński BJJ, RTR GROUP Sp. z o.o., Melt me tender, Galeria Kwiatów
Partner technologiczny: Vobacom Sp. z o.o.
Patronat medialny: TVP Kultura, Polmic, TVP 3 Bydgoszcz, TV Toruń, Radio PiK, Nowości, Toruń Nasze Miasto, Presto
Współpraca redakcyjna: RMF Classic

Organizator: Toruńska Orkiestra Symfoniczna