The Warsaw Philharmonic, where he served as music director from 1977 to 2001, described him on its website as “a great Conductor, a charismatic Artist, a wonderful Director and a noble Man,” adding that his contribution to the history of the institution cannot be overestimated.
KAZIMIERZ KORD 1930 - 2021 Z wielkim żalem informujemy o śmierci Maestro Kazimierza Korda, Dyrektora Naczelnego i...
Posted by Filharmonia Narodowa w Warszawie on Thursday, April 29, 2021
Poland's culture ministry recalled in a Twitter post that Kord was the first Polish conductor to appear at the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
Born in Kraków, southern Poland, Kord first studied piano in the Polish city of Katowice and in Leningrad (now St. Petersburg in Russia) before graduating in conducting from the Kraków Music Academy.
He developed a fine career in both opera and symphonic music, working as music director of the Music Theatre in Kraków, the Great Symphony Orchestra of Polish Radio and Television in Katowice, the National Opera in Warsaw, and the Warsaw Philharmonic.
He conducted Boris Godunov on the opening night of the 1977/1978 season at the Metropolitan Opera in New York as well as the Met’s productions of The Queen of Spades, Aida and Cosi fan tutte.
🖤🖤🖤Nie żyje dyrygent Kazimierz Kord, wieloletni dyrektor naczelny i artystyczny Filharmonii Narodowej w Warszawie. O...
Posted by Ministerstwo Kultury, Dziedzictwa Narodowego i Sportu on Thursday, April 29, 2021
He also worked closely with top opera companies in London, Amsterdam, Munich and Copenhagen, and with leading orchestras in Europe, the United States and Japan.
Kord’s honours included the Knight’s Cross of the Order of Reborn Poland, the Gold Gloria Artis Medal of Merit for Culture, and Polish Radio’s Diamond Baton award.
(mk/gs)