Wrocław Baroque Orchestra
Founded
in 2006 by Andrzej Kosendiak, it is a resident ensemble of the Witold
Lutosławski National Forum of Music, one of few cultural institutions in Poland
boasting its own Baroque orchestra playing historical instruments.
During
each NFM concert season, WBO presents its own concert series, always ardently
applauded by the audience. The WBO repertoire encompasses works from early
Baroque to Romanticism, from chamber line-ups to colossal oratorios. The superb
cellist Jarosław Thiel has been Artistic Director of WBO since its inception.
Today,
Wrocław Baroque Orchestra counts among the most important Polish ensembles
playing historical instruments. The orchestra’s output and high level of
performance result in collaborations with the biggest names on the
international early music scene. WBO has performed under the baton of Philippe
Herreweghe, Giovanni Antonini, Andrew Parrott, Paul McCreesh, Andreas Spering,
Hans-Christoph Rademann, Laurence Cummings, Rubén Dubrovsky, and Christian
Curnyn. The orchestra has invited excellent ensembles and soloists, and among
them Collegium Vocale Gent, Cantus Cölln, Taverner Consort, Dresdner
Kammerchor, Gli Angeli Genève, Olga Pasichnyk, Vivica Genaux, Julia Lezhneva,
Renata Pokupić, Nicholas Mulroy, Daniel Taylor, and Aleksandra Kurzak. The
orchestra guest performs at prestigious festivals, participates in radio
broadcasts and recording sessions.
The first
CD of WBO won a Fryderyk in the Phonographic Debut of the Year category, and
the following recordings have been nominated for the same award several times.
2017 saw the release of a new album – Haydn The
Seasons – a result of collaboration with Paul McCreesh and his Gabrieli Consort & Players (the
disc was nominated for Gramophone Awards in the Best Choral Recording category
and was a recording of the month of the BBC Music Magazine in June 2017). 2018 saw the release of the album with the premiere
recording of the original version of Phantoms
by Stanisław Moniuszko, with the participation of an orchestra, and the album 17th-century Sacred Music in Wrocław,
recorded with Gli Angeli Genève and Concerto Palatino under the direction of
Stephan MacLeod for Claves. The latter won an International Classical Music Award 2019 in the
Baroque Vocal category.