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The Wrocław Baroque Orchestra (= WOB; Polsh: Wrocławska Orkiestra Barokowa) was founded by Andrzej Kosendiak, director of the Wrocław Philharmonic, in October 2006. The Wrocław Philharmonic is the only philharmonic in Poland to boast a Baroque orchestra playing historical instruments. During every artistic season of the Wrocław Philharmonic the WOB presents its own concert series, always fervently applauded by the audience. The WOB repertoire encompasses works from early Baroque to the beginnings of Romanticism, from chamber music to great oratorios. Jarosław Thiel has been the orchestra’s Artistic Director since its inception.
The Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra quickly reached a level of artistic proficiency and recognition by critique resulting in collaborations with the most famous names on the international scene of early music, invitations to festivals, broadcasting and recordings. The WOB has performed under the baton of Philippe Herreweghe, Giovanni Antonini, Jaap ter Linden, Andrew Parrott, Paul McCreesh, Peter Van Heyghen, Andreas Spering, Laurence Cummings, Claudio Cavina, Benjamin Bayl, Rubén Dubrovsky, and Christian Curnyn. The guest ensembles and artists invited to collaborate with the WOB have been, among others, Collegium Vocale Gent, Cantus Cölln, Taverner Consort, Simone Kermes, Olga Pasiecznik, Julia Lezhneva, Renata Pokupič, Nicholas Mulroy, Daniel Taylor, Barbara Maria Willi, Nico van der Meel, and Aleksandra Kurzak.
The ensemble is regularly requested to perform concerts and participate in festivals, both in and outside Poland, including International Festival Wratislavia Cantans, ‘Mozartiana’International Festival, Ludwig van Beethoven Easter Festival, Musikfest Erzgebirge, Uckermärkische Musikwochen, Mazovia Goes Baroque, Poznań Baroque, Concentus Moraviae, and Tage Alter Musik in Herne.
In January 2012 the Wroclaw Baroque Orchestra recorded its first CD with the symphonies by Czech Classicists: Kořeluh, Rejcha and Voríšek, acclaimed by critics and very well received by listeners. The disc earned two nominations for the Fryderyk Award in the ‘phonographic debut of the year’ category. The following CDs included the Haydn symphonies called ‘The Times of Day’, the premiere recordings of unpublished works by Franz Xavier Richter under the baton of Andrzej Kosendiak, and Bella mia fiamma… - W.A. Mozart’s concert arias recorded with the superb soprano Olga Pasiecznik. The W.A. Mozart CD won five Diapasons, a prestigious distinction by the Diapason magazine. It was also nominated for the Fryderyk Award 2013. |
