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Antoni Wit

ANTONI WIT

Managing and Artistic Director of Warsaw Philharmonic since January 2002. Previously, he directed the Pomeranian Philharmonic (1974-77), Polish Radio and Television Orchestra and Choir in Cracow (1977-83), the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in Katowice (WOSPR, later NOSPR: 1983-2000), and Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria (1987-92). His work with each of these orchestras is now remembered as a period of intense artistic development and as these orchestras' heyday. His concerts and recordings with the Cracow orchestra and choir proved important for Polish music; with these musicians, he frequently toured Italy, Germany, Great Britain, France and Spain. He was NOSPR's longest-time managing and artistic director. With NOSPR, he started regular record production, foreign tours, concerts on TV and film music recordings. Among the artist's recordings and in his concert programmes, the pride of place has always been given to Polish music both by historical and contemporary composers. The artist presented many world premiere performances of works by, among others, Krzysztof Penderecki (Lacrimosa, Agnus Dei), Wojciech Kilar (September Symphony, dedicated to Antoni Wit, and Sinfonia de motu), as well as a great number of first Polish performances.

Born in Cracow, he received his education in this city, studying conducting under Henryk Czyż, composition under Krzysztof Penderecki at the State Higher School of Music, and law at the Jagiellonian University. He then continued his musical studies with Nadia Boulanger in Paris. In 1967-69, he was Witold Rowicki's assistant at Warsaw Philharmonic.

The 2nd prize in the International Herbert von Karajan Conducting Competition in Berlin in 1971 paved the way for his great international career. He has toured and conducted in nearly all the major musical centres in Europe, the USA, Canada, Mexico, Israel, Brazil, Argentina, Japan, Hong Kong, South Korea, Australia, New Zealand, China and on Taiwan, conducting such leading symphony orchestras as the Berliner Philharmoniker, Staatskapelle Dresden, Tonhalle Zurich, the Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Orchestra dell'Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, St. Petersburg Philharmonia, NHK Symphony Orchestra in Tokyo, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, Orquestra Sinfônica do Estado de São Paulo, Orquestra Sinfônica de Salvador, and others.

Symphonic music remains the main focus of Antoni Wit's artistic work. However, he has also been highly successful in the field of the opera, conducting the premieres of The Barber of Seville, Traviata and A Masked Ball in Warsaw's Grand Theatre, as well as Aida and The Consul in Malmö Opera, and first nights of Halka in Tokyo and Triest.

He has made over 150 full records for such labels as EMI, CBS, Decca, NAXOS, NVC Arts, Pony Canyon, Camerata Tokyo, CD Accord, DUX, Polskie Nagrania. He is one of the few artists in the world whose CDs have been sold in more than three million copies. His collaboration with NAXOS has resulted in the release of over 30 CDs with Polish music, sold in more than 600 thousand copies. These recordings were made predominantly with Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and NOSPR (WOSPR). An important feature of the NAXOS Polish music collection is its wide range. The NAXOS catalogue includes e.g. 10 CDs of compositions by Lutosławski and 12 by Penderecki. With Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra and Choir, he has completed a CD series of Szymanowski's symphonic and oratorio works for NAXOS - a project supported by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. Simultaneously, with New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra he has recorded the complete set of symphonic poems by Karłowicz.

In recognition of his achievements, he has received numerous record awards: six Grammy nominations, two of them in 2009 (!) - for Penderecki's St Luke Passion - 2004, Polish Requiem - 2005, Seven Gates of Jerusalem - 2007, Utrenja - 2009, and Karol Szymanowski's Stabat Mater - 2008, Symphony No. 1 and 4 - 2009. He was also awarded the Diapason d'Or and Grand Prix du Disque de la Nouvelle Academie for his interpretation of Prokofiev's complete piano concertos (with Kun Woo Paik as soloist) in in 1993, and his recording of Messiaen's Turangalîla symphony won Cannes Classical Award (Midem Classique 2002). Antoni Wit received the Classical Internet Award for his performance of Penderecki's St. Luke Passion in 2004, the Record Academy Award 2005 of the Japanese music magazine "Record Geijutsu" for his recording of Penderecki's Polish Requiem, and four Fryderyk Awards of the Polish Phonographic Academy.

The first two records from the series of complete works by Szymanowski won Gramophone Editor's Choice (in July 2007 - Violin Concertos with Ilya Kaler as soloist, Nocturne and Tarantelle; in May 2008 - Symphonies Nos. 2 and 3), the next two - BBC Music Magazine Editor's Choice (in October 2008 - Stabat Mater, Veni Creator, Litany to the Virgin Mary, Demether and Penhesilea; in April 2009 - Harnasie, Mandragora, Prince Potyomkin), and the last two in the series - Editor's Choice of the musical web portal ClassicsToday (Harnasie - in April 2009, Symphonies No. 1 and 4 - in May 2009).

In June 2005, Wit made for NAXOS a CD recording of Symphony No. 8 by Mahler with Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir as well as other guest choirs. The album received the highest notes in international reviews, which placed the performance among the best interpretations of this work in history. In 2006, the artist recorded the Alpine Symphony by R. Strauss with Staatskapelle Weimar. This album which was critically and publicly acclaimed worldwide; e.g. a BBC Magazine reviewer placed it in the "Karajan League", praising the conductor's great sensitivity and refined nuances of interpretation. The opinion-forming Penguin Guide gave the highest recommendation to as many as 16 of his recordings.

In September 2006, the winner of the 2005 International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw Rafał Blechacz and Antoni Wit initiated an unusual event - the first symphonic concert ever in the pianist's hometown of Nakło, where Blechacz played Chopin's both piano concertos with Warsaw Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra.

For the best performance of a Polish work at the "Warsaw Autumn" International Festival of Contemporary Music, the artist won the Orpheus Critics' Award (twice - in 1984 and 1996). In 1998, "For outstanding artistic creations and the promotion of Polish music at home and abroad, reaching millions of listeners worldwide," the Polish Radio awarded him with the "Diamond Baton". In 2006, the Italian President decorated Wit with the Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit to the Republic of Italy.

Antoni Wit also engages in teaching activity - he is a professor of conducting in the Fryderyk Chopin University of Music in Warsaw. His students have won many top prizes in music competitions in Poland and abroad.