The Philharmonic Hall in Kraków was the setting for a thoroughly enjoyable concert as Sinfonietta Cracovia, under the direction of Austrian conductor Andreas Ottensamer, presented a thoughtfully curated programme spanning Mozart, Veress, Lutosławski and Bartók.

The evening opened with Mozart’s ‘Divertimento in F major’. Sinfonietta Cracovia brought vitality and elegance to the music, playing with exuberance whilst maintaining the refinement and clarity of Mozart. The lively outer movements sparkled, while the central Andante provided a welcome moment of lyrical repose.

The first half continued with a work that was completely new to me: Sándor Veress’s ‘Hommage à Paul Klee’. Written for two pianos and string orchestra, the piece proved to be a fascinating and rewarding discovery. Veress’s colourful score, inspired by the imaginative world of the Swiss artist, is rich in texture and rhythmic invention, creating a sequence of musical images that continually engage the listener.

Central to the success of the performance were the outstanding contributions of the Książek Piano Duo, consisting of Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek. Their playing combined technical brilliance with remarkable sensitivity, navigating Veress’s intricate writing with apparent ease. The audience responded extremely warmly to this superb interpretation of a rarely-heard work.

Agnieszka Zahaczewska-Książek and Krzysztof Książek (© Piotr Markowski)

After the interval came Witold Lutosławski’s brief ‘Overture for Strings’. Lasting little more than five minutes, the Sinfonietta relished its driving energy and razor-sharp rhythms, delivering an exhilarating performance.

The evening culminated in Béla Bartók’s ‘Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta’, one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable orchestral masterpieces. From the mysterious opening fugue to the propulsive rhythms and striking contrasts of the later movements, the performance captured both the work’s intellectual rigour and its visceral excitement. The famous nocturnal atmosphere of the third movement was beautifully realised, while the energetic finale brought the evening to a thrilling conclusion.

Sinfonietta Cracovia and Andreas Ottensamer provided a wonderful evening of music-making that was warmly appreciated by the audience, whose prolonged applause and repeated calls for the conductor’s return to the stage reflected the success of a truly memorable performance.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: ‘Divertimento in F Major’ K138; Sándor Veress: ‘Hommage à Paul Klee’; Witold Lutoslawski: ‘Overture for Strings’; Béla Bartók: ‘Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta’.