Polish Focus in Lyon: outstanding artists and masterpieces by Polish composers in two concert halls in Lyon

Conductor Marta Gardolińska, organist Karol Mossakowski, double bassist Krzysztof Firlus, harpsichordist Marcin Świątkiewicz, and the orchestras Arte dei Suonatori, Equilibrium String Quartet, Cohaere Ensemble, and Wrocław Baroque Ensemble – these are the Polish artists whose virtuoso performances of masterpieces by Polish and international composers will be heard in Lyon. 

On 3 November 2025, the Polish Focus will be inaugurated at the Auditorium Orchestre National de Lyon with a concert by the Arte dei Suonatori orchestra. During the programme, French audiences will also have the opportunity to hear some of the most valuable works by Polish composers, including Szymanowski, Lutosławski, Szpilman, Zarębski, Weinberg, Tansman, and Chopin. The concerts will take place at the Auditorium Orchestre National de Lyon until March 2026, and will then continue at the Chapelle de la Trinité in spring 2026. Polish Focus will run until June 2026. 

Polish Focus in Lyon is the result of cooperation between the Adam Mickiewicz Institute, the Auditorium Orchestre National de Lyon, the Chapelle de la Trinité, the Polish Institute in Paris, and the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in Lyon. 

Polish Focus in Lyon – Transnational collaboration between virtuosos centred on the Polish musical canon 

The Polish Focus programme is based on the idea of transnational collaboration and the co-creation of music. It presents masterpieces by Polish composers such as Szymanowski, Lutosławski, Szpilman, Zarębski, Weinberg, Tansman, and Chopin, performed by Polish, French, and international artists. It is also an opportunity to hear contemporary Polish virtuosos live. 

At the heart of the programme – and a completely new feature – are concerts by orchestras specialising in historical performance: Arte dei Suonatori, the Equilibrium String Quartet, the Cohaere Ensemble, and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble, as well as a concert by the Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Marta Gardolińska. The orchestras will be joined by soloists: organist Karol Mossakowski, double bassist Krzysztof Firlus and harpsichordist Marcin Świątkiewicz. 

Internationally renowned artists have also been invited to take part in the programme, enriching performances of works from the Polish and world canons with their interpretations: pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, pianist Tobias Koch, violist Antoine Tamestit, conductor Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, and violinist Thomas Zehetmair. 

Eight programmes and ten concerts as part of the “Poland” series in the repertoire of the Auditorium de Lyon

Polish Focus will open on 3 November 2025 with a concert by the Arte dei Suonatori orchestra, specialists in early music, performing works by Bach and Telemann, among others. The following day, the Equilibrium String Quartet will present works by Beethoven and Zarębski, alongside two rarely performed compositions by Mendelssohn and Kurpiński – the mentor of the young Chopin. 

In February, the duo Linus Roth and José Gallardo, joined by musicians from the Orchestre National de Lyon, will perform works by the unjustly forgotten composer Mieczysław Weinberg. The artists rediscovered Weinberg’s music almost ten years ago and have since collected all his compositions, saving them from oblivion. 

The Orchestre National de Lyon will also perform two programmes juxtaposing different musical worlds. In November, under the baton of Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, the orchestra will perform works by Berlioz (Harold en Italie with Antoine Tamestit), Tansman (Symphony No. 2) and Bacewicz (Overture). In February, the Orchestre National de Lyon, conducted by Marta Gardolińska, will perform Tchaikovsky (“Polonaise” from “Eugene Onegin”), Szymanowski (Violin Concerto No. 2 with Thomas Zehetmair), and Lutosławski (Concerto for Orchestra).

In January, Karol Mossakowski will take his place at the console of the Auditorium de Lyon organ to present an improvisation to Friedrich Murnau’s silent film “Tabu”. The programme will conclude with a recital by pianist Yulianna Avdeeva, featuring works by Chopin, Szpilman, and Paderewski. 

The second part of the Polish Focus programme at the Chapelle de la Trinité in 2026

Polish Focus in Lyon will continue from March 2026 at the Chapelle de la Trinité, where the Cohaere Ensemble and the Wrocław Baroque Ensemble will perform a Baroque music programme in historical performance style. 

Polish Focus Programme in Lyon:

Auditorium de Lyon:

• 3 November 2025 – Arte dei Suonatori, Krzysztof Firlus – viola da gamba, Marcin Świątkiewicz – harpsichord and artistic director; programme: J. S. Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major, BWV 1068 (version for strings); J. G. Graun – Concerto in D minor for viola da gamba and strings, IA 927; G. P. Telemann – Polish Concerto in G major, TWV 43:G7; G. Goldberg – Concerto for harpsichord in D minor.

• 4 November 2025 – Equilibrium String Quartet, Tobias Koch – historical piano; programme: F. Mendelssohn-Bartholdy – Caprice in E minor, Op. 81 No. 3; L. van Beethoven – String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4; K. Kurpiński – Fantasia in C major for string quartet; J. Zarębski – Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 34.

• 13 and 15 November 2025 – Antoine Tamestit – viola, Orchestre National de Lyon, Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider – conductor; programme: G. Bacewicz – Overture; A. Tansman – Symphony No. 2; H. Berlioz – Harold in Italy, Op. 16, for viola and orchestra.

• 18 November 2025 – Simply Quartet; programme: W. Lutosławski – String Quartet; J. Haydn – String Quartet in A major, Op. 20 No. 6; D. Shostakovich – String Quartet No. 3.

• 7 January 2026 – Ciné-concert (film concert – Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau’s “Tabu”), Karol Mossakowski – organ.

• 3 February 2026 – Quartet of the Orchestre National de Lyon; programme: M. Weinberg – String Trio; Violin Sonata No. 2; Rhapsody on Moldavian Themes; Piano Trio.

• 5 and 7 February 2026 – Orchestre National de Lyon, Marta Gardolińska – conductor, Thomas Zehetmair – violin; programme: P. Tchaikovsky – Polonaise from the opera Eugene Onegin; K. Szymanowski – Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 61; W. Lutosławski – Concerto for Orchestra.

• 10 March 2026 – Yulianna Avdeeva – piano; recital programme: F. Chopin – two nocturnes from Op. 62; Fantasy in F minor, Op. 49; Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53; 24 Preludes, Op. 28; W. Szpilman – Mazurka in F minor; Piano Suite “The Life of Machines”; I. J. Paderewski – Cracovienne fantastique, Op. 14 No. 6.

Chapelle de la Trinité:

• March 2026 – Cohaere Ensemble; the programme features music by French and Gdansk Baroque composers from the ensemble’s debut albums.

• June 2026 – Wrocław Baroque Ensemble and vocal ensemble; the programme includes works by K. Forster, G.G. Gorczycki, J.S. Bach.

Media contact:
Malwina Malinowska
e-mail: [email protected]

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