The Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival – Promoting Poland Through Culture

“We have extraordinary artists, orchestras, and concert halls. Polish culture has the power to captivate the world,” said Elżbieta Penderecka, the founder of the Ludwig van Beethoven Festivals. With this vision of promoting Polish culture and educating future generations in music, she launched the Beethoven Festival 29 years ago. Since then, the Ludwig van Beethoven Association has organized the festival annually, of which she is president.

From the Ninth Symphony to Music and Poetry

The festival was initially held in Kraków, but after a few years, it was moved to Warsaw. In the two weeks leading up to Easter, the National Philharmonic Hall resonates daily with the music of great composers. Each performance features some of the best artists from Poland and worldwide.

This year, the 29th edition of the Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival opens on April 6 with a performance of one of Beethoven’s greatest masterpieces—his Ninth Symphony, featuring the famous “Ode to Joy” by Friedrich Schiller in the final movement. The piece will be performed by the National Forum of Music Orchestra, the Kraków Philharmonic Choir, and an exceptional quartet of soloists: Chen Reiss (soprano), Sarah Romberger (mezzo-soprano), Sung Min Song (tenor), and Jan Martiník (bass-baritone), under the baton of the world-renowned conductor Christoph Eschenbach.

This year’s festival theme is “Beethoven and Great Poetry.” While the festival’s name references the legendary German composer, the program features works by various composers and showcases artists representing various musical schools.

Twelve Days of Performances

Reflecting the festival’s theme, the concert program features vocal-instrumental compositions and works inspired by literature, ranging from Beethoven to Franz Liszt, Gustav Mahler, Richard Strauss, Maurice Ravel, and Krzysztof Penderecki.

According to Andrzej Giza, Director of the Ludwig van Beethoven Foundation, this year’s twelve-day festival will feature eight symphonic concerts, three song recitals, two piano recitals, and two chamber music performances. “Mrs. Elżbieta Penderecka, the Festival’s Director, has invited many outstanding soloists and conductors, as well as top symphony orchestras from Poland and abroad,” Giza adds.

Among the Polish ensembles taking part in the symphonic concerts are the Kraków Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Lawrence Foster; the Silesian Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Yaroslav Shemet; the Łódź Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Paweł Przytocki; and the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw, led by Leonard Slatkin. The Beethoven Orchestra from Bonn, conducted by its music director, Dirk Kaftan, is making its festival debut this year.

A Grand Finale at the Grand Theatre

As in previous years, the festival will culminate with a grand final Good Friday concert at the Teatr Wielki – Polish National Opera in Warsaw. The program will include Kaddish by Krzysztof Penderecki and Kaddish by Leonard Bernstein. These profoundly moving works, based on the Jewish prayer for the dead, will be performed by the National Philharmonic Orchestra and Choir, the Alla Polacca Children’s and Youth Choir, soprano Natalia Rubiś, cantor Gerard Edery, and narrators Leah Pisar-Haas and Sławomir Holland, under the direction of Christoph König, the Principal Guest Conductor of the National Philharmonic.

According to the organizers, as tradition dictates, the festival’s main concert lineup will be accompanied by regular side events such as the Manuscript Exhibition at the Jagiellonian Library and the International Academic Symposium. The 29th edition of the Beethoven Easter Festival is promoted with a poster designed by Julita Malinowska.

Poland’s Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the City of Warsaw co-finance the festival, which is held under the honorary patronage of President Andrzej Duda.

Detailed information about the program and ticket availability can be found at: beethoven.org.pl/en