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Ensemble

 

Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum is a renowned classical music ensemble based in Wroclaw, Poland. The orchestra was founded in 1968 by a group of music students at the Wroclaw Academy of Music, who were inspired by the Baroque music revival movement that was gaining popularity in Europe at the time. The ensemble was named after the Leopoldine Academy, a Jesuit college in Wroclaw that was known for its musical traditions. The founding members of the orchestra were all young and talented musicians who shared a passion for early music and historical performance practices. They were led by conductor and harpsichordist Andrzej Mysinski, who became the artistic director of the ensemble and remained in that position for over 40 years. Under his leadership, the orchestra grew in size and reputation, and became one of the leading ensembles in Poland and Europe. The main members of the orchestra are highly skilled and experienced musicians who specialize in historical performance practices and use period instruments. They include violinists Jan Stanienda, Martyna Pastuszka, and Ewa Gubańska, violist Marcin Zdunik, cellist Tomasz Pokrzywiński, and double bassist Krzysztof Firlus. The orchestra also collaborates with renowned soloists and conductors from around the world, such as violinist Midori Seiler, cellist Pieter Wispelwey, and conductor Paul McCreesh. The repertoire of Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum is diverse and ranges from Baroque to contemporary music, with a particular focus on the music of the 18th century. The orchestra is known for its authentic and lively interpretations of works by composers such as Bach, Handel, Vivaldi, and Mozart, as well as lesser-known composers from the Baroque and Classical periods. The ensemble also performs works by contemporary composers, and has commissioned and premiered several new works by Polish and international composers. One of the highlights of the orchestra's career was its participation in the Bach Cantata Pilgrimage, a project initiated by conductor John Eliot Gardiner to perform all of Bach's cantatas in churches around the world. Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum was one of the ensembles that participated in this project, and performed several cantatas in churches in Germany and Poland. The orchestra's performances were praised for their energy, precision, and authenticity, and were recorded and released on CD. Another notable achievement of the orchestra was its collaboration with the Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who wrote a concerto for harpsichord and orchestra for the ensemble. The concerto, titled "Sinfonietta per archi e cembalo", was premiered by Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum in 2008, with Andrzej Mysinski as the soloist and conductor. The performance was highly acclaimed and led to further collaborations between the orchestra and Penderecki. Wroclaw Chamber Orchestra Leopoldinum has also received numerous awards and honors for its recordings and performances. The ensemble has won several Fryderyk Awards, the most prestigious music award in Poland, for its recordings of Baroque and Classical music. The orchestra's recording of Vivaldi's "Four Seasons" with violinist Jan Stanienda was particularly successful, and received critical acclaim and commercial success. The ensemble has also performed at major music festivals in Europe and Asia, and has toured extensively in Poland and abroad.

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