Szczecin Philharmonic

Our ensemble of nearly a hundred people consists of outstandingly talented musicians of all generations who play both an ambitious classical repertoire and participate in innovative music projects that cross the genre boundaries. The Philharmonic Orchestra can also boast many CD recordings. We keep all symphonic works by Mieczysław Karłowicz, the patron of our Philharmonic, particularly close to our hearts. So far, we have recorded on five CD albums.

During seven decades of uninterrupted history, the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra has performed with the best soloists, not only from Poland but also from all over the world. Together with our orchestra, the following artists have played: Krystian Zimerman, Mischa Maisky, Kevin Kenner, Maurizio Pollini, Rafał Blechacz, Kaja Danczowska, Konstanty Andrzej Kulka, Bomsori Kim, Jan Lisiecki, Dina Yoffe, Yuliana Avdeeva, Seong-Jin Cho, Yeol Eum Son, Ingolf Wunder, Szymon Nehring, Aleksandra Kurzak, Roberto Alagna, Gautier Capuçon, Ning Feng, Anastasia Kobekina, Narek Hakhnazaryan, Guy Braunstein, Nemanja Radulović, Isabelle Moretti and Veriko Tchumburidze. Our symphony orchestra was also conducted by outstanding maestros: Jerzy Maksymiuk, Antoni Wit, Krzysztof Penderecki, Stefan Asbury, Karol Teutsch, Leopold Hager,
Agnieszka Duczmal, Wayne Marshall, Łukasz Borowicz, Andrzej Boreyko, Troy Miller, Tigran Akhnazarian and many, many others.

For several decades of its history, the Szczecin Philharmonic Orchestra has been invited by many excellent music scenes. They played at the National Philharmonic in Warsaw and on stages in Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Bulgaria, as well as in Italy, the Netherlands and France.

The symphony hall was entirely finished with wooden and wood-based materials. Rich geometry of golden walls and ceilings, covered with schlagmetal petals gives the interior a golden glow, enriched with stunning light reflections. Shimmering with a golden light the symphony hall was given the name of the sun hall. The form as well as the cubic capacity of the symphony hall were subordinated to high acoustic requirements. World’s best concert halls were used as models: Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Symphony Hall in Boston and Musikvereinssaal in Vienna.

Concerts of chamber music and recitals are performed in the small hall of the Philharmonic which thanks to its classical simplicity and dominant black colour of finishing elements was given the name of the moon hall. The small hall, similarly to the symphony hall, has a cuboid shape of fixed acoustic parameters. It was entirely finished with wooden and woodbased materials. The small hall, with floor area of 225 square meters, may accommodate 192 spectators. The hall’s stage (approx. 77 square meters), that may accommodate 30-person orchestra, was also equipped with a piano trapdoor.

The new seat of the Szczecin Philharmonic was erected at the junction of two streets, Małopolska and Matejki, at the plot where 130 years ago the Concert House (Konzerthaus) commenced its activity. Since 1884 it served as city’s musical center. The building was severely damaged during warfare, and in 1962 it was finally pulled down.

The climate and atmosphere of the interior are an undeniable asset of the new facility. The structure is expressive and consistent with minimalistic use of means of expression. Outside facade of the new Philharmonic in Szczecin is formed with white glass and vertically arranged rectangular aluminum profiles, discontinued only in the place of scarce window and door openings. The authors designed a two-layer facade of the building, in which 25 thousand LED light fittings are hidden. Effects of this may be admired especially at night, when the building glows with a subtle light. Architects have also planned colourful illumination of building’s facade that enables creation of various light scenarios, used for special events and occasions