Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
The Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra is versatile, performing and recording opera and ballet as well as orchestral masterworks, mostly from Poland. The group has a substantial recording catalog, including releases on French and German labels as well as Polish ones.
The Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra (Polish: Polska Orkiestra Radiowa), headquartered in Warsaw since its founding and also known as the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, should not be confused with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra, from the city of Katowice. The history of the Polish Radio Symphony dates back to 1934, when managers of Polish Radio, like those of other European broadcasters, decided to assemble an orchestra (and chorus) for the many broadcasts that required live music. At first, it was simply called the Polish Radio Orchestra; the first conductor was Grzegorz Fitelberg. The orchestra disbanded during World War II but was re-formed in 1945 by violinist and conductor Stefan Rachon. At first, the group fulfilled its original utilitarian function on Polish radio and soon television, performing popular music and accompanying radio dramas and the like. Rachon served as conductor until 1976. It was his successor, Wlodzimierz Kamirsky, who began to remake the orchestra along symphonic and operatic lines; in 1977, under conductor Jerzy Semkow, the group backed an EMI recording of Mussorgsky's opera Boris Godunov; that album was reissued on CD in 1993.
Conductors Jan Pruszak (1980-1988), Mieczysław Nowakowski (1988-1990), and Tadeusz Strugała (1990-1993) continued to develop the orchestra's symphonic repertory; under the latter, the group was renamed the Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra and moved into Polish Radio's new Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio. Under Wojciech Rajski, artistic director from 1993 to 2006, the group toured 11 eastern and western European countries, exposing audiences there to little-known Polish works. Conductor Łukasz Borowicz (2007-2015) inaugurated a tradition of opening seasons with concert performances of unknown or forgotten Polish operas. Michał Klauza became artistic director and continued to hold that position in the early 2020s. The Polish Radio Symphony has recorded for major labels such as Accentus, Chandos, and Hänssler Classic, as well as for Dux and other Polish labels. By 2022, when Klauza and the orchestra backed accordionist Klaudiusz Baran on an album of Polish accordion concertos on Naxos, the group's catalog comprised more than 30 albums.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Discography
14 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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Lipinski: Violin Concertos Nos. 2-4
Laurent Albrecht Breuninger, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wojciech Rajski
Classical - Released by CPO on 1 Feb 2003
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Panufnik: Symphonic Works, Vol. 2
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Łukasz Długosz, Łukasz Borowicz, Anna Sikorzak-Olek
Classical - Released by CPO on 31 Aug 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Lipinski: Violin Concerto No. 1, Rondo alla polacca & Brawurowe wariacje
Laurent Albrecht Breuninger, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wojciech Rajski
Classical - Released by CPO on 20 Jun 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Andrzej Panufnik : Sinfonia di Sfere (Symphonic Works, Vol. 7)
Łukasz Borowicz, Konzerthausorchester Berlin , Michael von Schönermark, Sarah van der Kemp, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by CPO on 10 Jan 2014
Gramophone Editor's Choice16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Polish Accordion Concertos
Baran Klaudiusz, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Michał Klauza
Classical - Released by Naxos on 11 Nov 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Poland Abroad, Vol. 4 - Opera and Ballet
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Polish Radio Choir
Opera - Released by EDA RECORDS on 24 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Weber: Piano Concertos Nos. 1 & 2 - Konzertstück Op. 79
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Marek Drewnowski, Antoni Wit
Classical - Released by Arts Productions Ltd on 7 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich, Scriabin & Dvorák: Symphony No. 9 - Piano Concerto - Symphonic Variations
Paul Badura-Skoda, Charles Mackerras, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Infinity on 20 Dec 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Thierry Gervais ConcertosGrands concertos pour trompette et orchestre (Grands concertos pour trompette et orchestre)
Thierry Gervais, Allen Vizzutti, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Classical - Released by Indesens on 18 May 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Baird: Works for Orchestra
Camerata Quartet, Elzbieta Panko, Adam Kruszewski, Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Wojciech Michniewski
Classical - Released by Pan Classics on 8 Jan 2021
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Shostakovich, Scriabin & Dvorák (Live)
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Paul Badura-Skoda
Classical - Released by Altair on 26 May 2023
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Composer's Concert Live: Krzysztof Herdzin
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Piotr Baron, Krzysztof Herdzin
Classical - Released by DUX on 18 Nov 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wieniawski: Violin Concerto No. 1 Op. 14
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra, Vadim Brodsky, Antoni Wit
Concertos - Released by Arts Productions Ltd on 7 Nov 2006
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Symphony No. 9 in D Minor, Op. 125: III. Adagio molto e cantabile
Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Symphonic Music - Released by Altara on 17 Oct 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo