The motto of this year’s event, the 12th under the artistic direction of Italy’s Antonini, is "Migrations."
According to the festival organizers, "migration has been a part of human fate since time immemorial; it has also facilitated the spread of ideas."
The theme of migration is central to most festival events. The programme book cites Handel as an example of cultural assimilation in a foreign country. A German whose grandfather hailed from Breslau (now Wrocław), Handel became England’s beloved national composer after moving to London.
One of the concerts features music by Polish composers Roman Palester, Wojciech Kilar, Bogusław Schaeffer, Elżbieta Sikora and Krystyna Moszumańska-Nazar, all of whom were born in today's Ukraine. Historical turmoil and personal choices caused them to settle down in Poland and other countries.
The 59th Wratislavia Cantans Festival will conclude on September 15 with a concert by the Wrocław Philharmonic, conducted by its new artistic director, Christoph Eschenbach, a German born in Breslau in 1940.
The organizers say that Eschenbach's return to his childhood hometown as the director of the local orchestra is an event of special significance.
Founded in 1966, Wratislavia Cantans is one of Poland’s oldest music festivals. It is a member of the European Festivals Association and part of the Music Master on Air network.
The festival's current edition has been included by BBC Music Magazine among Europe’s 30 most prestigious festivals of 2024.
“Established as a festival immersed in the singing voice, Wratislavia Cantans hasn’t lost faith with its vocal roots," BBC Music Magazine wrote.
"But it has evolved. Anchored by Wrocław’s splendid National Forum for Music, it welcomes artists and ensembles such as harpsichordist Jean Rondeau, mandolinist Avi Avital and Václav Luks’ Collegium Vocale 1704."
(mk/gs)
