The Music in Old Cracow Festival is one of the oldest festivals held in Poland.
Initiated by the Municipality of Cracow, it has been organised since 1976 under the patronage of
the President of Cracow. The festival was established by its artistic director Stanisław Gałoński,
the founder of the Capella Cracoviensis (orchestra and vocal ensemble) and its director of
many years´ standing.
Cracow´s culture and tradition have always created favourable conditions for music to be composed and performed. It is worth mentioning that such eminent European composers as H. Finck, L. Marenzio and D. Cato worked in Cracow; what is more, Palestrina, G. Ph. Telemann and J. S. Bach dedicated their compositions to Polish monarchs, and Liszt, Brahms, Paderewski and Rubinstein gave concerts here. Another significant phenomenon of the city´s music culture were the Rorantists, the royal ensemble, set up by the Polish king Sigismund the Old and active for over 300 years. The Music in Old Cracow Festival has always aimed to revive the heyday of Cracow´s history and culture. Numerous distinguished artists and ensembles have performed at the Festival, including Henryk Szeryng, Ida Haendel, Jordi Savall, Shlomo Mintz, Krystian Zimmermann, Witold Rowicki, Andrzej Hiolski, Christopher Hoogwood, Jerzy Katlewicz, Krzysztof Penderecki, Antoni Wit, Emma Kirkby, Barbara Schlick, Ewa Podleś, Paul Esswood, Adalbert Kraus, Hanjörg Schellenberger, Kaja Danczowska, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Daniel Stabrawa, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Grigori Zhislin, Iwan Monighetti, Malcolm Frager, Bruno Leonard Gelber, Cyprien Katsaris, Grigori Sokolov, Jeffrey Swann, Igor Kipnis, Elżbieta Stefańska, Bob van Asperen, Rafael Puyana, Jurij Baszmet, Pepe Romero, Philharmonia Quartett, Borodin Kwartet, Kwartet Wilanów, Hespèrion XX i XXI, Europa Galante, NOSPR, Filharmonia Narodowa, The Hilliard Ensemble, The Chanticleer, and many others.
The major objective of the Festival is to present outstanding Polish ensembles and soloists, particularly those coming from Cracow. It provides our foreign visitors the opportunity to become acquainted with our music culture. Moreover, the events do not feature only famous artists since also young talented musicians who are about to launch their careers are invited to participate in the Festival.
The programme of the Music in Old Cracow Festival is not limited by a narrow scope of repertoire or performance styles. It has been designed in such a way that during the two weeks the public may choose the kind of music which they like best - from the medieval to the contemporary compositions. Also the artists themselves are given freedom in the selection of the repertoire which they enjoy performing. The concerts are held during 17 days in numerous unique venues: beautiful historic interiors, churches, museums and courtyards. The participation in the Music in Old Cracow Festival involves not only a feast for the ears of music lovers, but also enables them to become familiar with the most beautiful monuments in Cracow.
Apart from the timetable of the events, the festival prospectus contains the concise descriptions of the historic buildings where the concerts are held, written by Michał Rożek, an eminent expert on Cracow´s art and history. The graphic design of all festival booklets, posters, etc. by Łukasz Lach is based on the pictures of a well-known photographer Adam Bujak; for many years his photos showing the edifices and architectural details have been used at the festival by the author´s kind permission.
Until 2009 the Festival had been closely tied to the artistic activity of the Capella Cracoviensis. At present the Municipality of Cracow entrusts the Capella Cracoviensis Foundation with its organization.
Cracow´s culture and tradition have always created favourable conditions for music to be composed and performed. It is worth mentioning that such eminent European composers as H. Finck, L. Marenzio and D. Cato worked in Cracow; what is more, Palestrina, G. Ph. Telemann and J. S. Bach dedicated their compositions to Polish monarchs, and Liszt, Brahms, Paderewski and Rubinstein gave concerts here. Another significant phenomenon of the city´s music culture were the Rorantists, the royal ensemble, set up by the Polish king Sigismund the Old and active for over 300 years. The Music in Old Cracow Festival has always aimed to revive the heyday of Cracow´s history and culture. Numerous distinguished artists and ensembles have performed at the Festival, including Henryk Szeryng, Ida Haendel, Jordi Savall, Shlomo Mintz, Krystian Zimmermann, Witold Rowicki, Andrzej Hiolski, Christopher Hoogwood, Jerzy Katlewicz, Krzysztof Penderecki, Antoni Wit, Emma Kirkby, Barbara Schlick, Ewa Podleś, Paul Esswood, Adalbert Kraus, Hanjörg Schellenberger, Kaja Danczowska, Krzysztof Jakowicz, Daniel Stabrawa, Wanda Wiłkomirska, Grigori Zhislin, Iwan Monighetti, Malcolm Frager, Bruno Leonard Gelber, Cyprien Katsaris, Grigori Sokolov, Jeffrey Swann, Igor Kipnis, Elżbieta Stefańska, Bob van Asperen, Rafael Puyana, Jurij Baszmet, Pepe Romero, Philharmonia Quartett, Borodin Kwartet, Kwartet Wilanów, Hespèrion XX i XXI, Europa Galante, NOSPR, Filharmonia Narodowa, The Hilliard Ensemble, The Chanticleer, and many others.
The major objective of the Festival is to present outstanding Polish ensembles and soloists, particularly those coming from Cracow. It provides our foreign visitors the opportunity to become acquainted with our music culture. Moreover, the events do not feature only famous artists since also young talented musicians who are about to launch their careers are invited to participate in the Festival.
The programme of the Music in Old Cracow Festival is not limited by a narrow scope of repertoire or performance styles. It has been designed in such a way that during the two weeks the public may choose the kind of music which they like best - from the medieval to the contemporary compositions. Also the artists themselves are given freedom in the selection of the repertoire which they enjoy performing. The concerts are held during 17 days in numerous unique venues: beautiful historic interiors, churches, museums and courtyards. The participation in the Music in Old Cracow Festival involves not only a feast for the ears of music lovers, but also enables them to become familiar with the most beautiful monuments in Cracow.
Apart from the timetable of the events, the festival prospectus contains the concise descriptions of the historic buildings where the concerts are held, written by Michał Rożek, an eminent expert on Cracow´s art and history. The graphic design of all festival booklets, posters, etc. by Łukasz Lach is based on the pictures of a well-known photographer Adam Bujak; for many years his photos showing the edifices and architectural details have been used at the festival by the author´s kind permission.
Until 2009 the Festival had been closely tied to the artistic activity of the Capella Cracoviensis. At present the Municipality of Cracow entrusts the Capella Cracoviensis Foundation with its organization.
translated by Ewa Elżbieta Nowakowska
