News - NOSPR

Katowice Kultura Natura Festival 2022 – Journey

Katowice Kultura Natura, the flagship Silesian classical music festival, returns in May under the watchword Journey. Through eight star-filled symphonic and chamber concerts, we will explore how musical journeys can change us, what they stir within us and where they lead us. Let’s present the festival programme!

A journey is inextricably linked to movement. Sometimes it is we who venture forth into the world, and sometimes it is the world that is moved by events which pull us along. The programme of this year’s Katowice Kultura Natura Festival revolves around the Journey, in various forms. We will hear music accompanying distant voyages and inspired by the diversity and wonders of the world. There will also be musical records of philosophical-meditative journeys within.

The Katowice Kultura Natura Festival will be inaugurated by the world-famous conductor Marin Alsop, whose concerts with the NOSPR last year were among the highlights of the season. At the start of the festival, the chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra will lead a performance of one of the greatest hits linked to the subject of travelling: Antonín Dvořák’s Symphony No. 9 (‘From the New World’). It is coupled with the Eighth Symphony (‘The Journey’) of the Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara, as well as Grażyna Bacewicz’s Overture for orchestra (12 May).

Years of pilgrimage

During the festival, we will be playing host in Katowice to a variety of ensembles from all over the world. The festival’s orchestra-in-residence will be the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Edward Gardner. In two concerts (14 and 15 May), our guests will be performing music by Scandinavian composers (Carl Nielsen, Geirr Tveitt), as well as their American, German, French and Polish counterparts.

The chamber strand to the festival programme also looks extremely attractive, with a recital by the Canadian pianist Louis Lortie, who will be performing Franz Liszt’s intriguing cycle Années de pèlerinage (17 May). Also adhering to the mood of musical travelling will be the concert by The Myrthen Ensemble, which embodies the finest traditions of British vocal ensembles (13 May).

Looking East

The festival will also trek to the Orient, offering us inspirations, discoveries and unusual encounters. The Naghash Ensemble of Armenia will be presenting a project under the topical title ‘Songs of Exile, Songs of Wisdom’ (16 May). Also displaying a philosophical-mystical dimension will be the performance by Noureddine Khourchid’s ensemble with the whirling dervishes of Damascus (19 May).

At the end of the festival, we will again be joining the NOSPR under the baton of its artistic director, Lawrence Foster, accompanying the German violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann, one of the most sought-after soloists in the world. The famous ‘Lady Inchiquin’ Stradivarius violin, loaned to Zimmermann by the Kunst im Landesbesitz foundation, will be heard in Johannes Brahms’s Violin Concerto in D major. The programme will also include works by Esa-Pekka Salonen and Benjamin Britten.

New propositions

The Katowice Kultura Natura Festival will also feature additional activities. Throughout the festival, we will be inviting patrons to visit the area around the NOSPR concert hall and travel by musical carriage – an interactive musical-educational installation for people of all ages.

Buy a carnet for the Katowice Kultura Natura Festival 2022 – Journey

A new offer for music lovers will be the chance to buy a special festival pass, which will enhance the festival experience even more. By purchasing tickets to all eight festival concerts, you can get as much as 45% off, while at the same time keeping all the concessions that apply when buying tickets for individual concerts. This is an excellent proposition for all those who wish to fully embrace the festival atmosphere. The number of passes is limited! 

Telephone reservations: 
32 73 25 312
32 73 25 320
32 73 25 321

The festival is organised by the Katowice Kultura Natura Association and the City of Katowice, in collaboration with the Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR) and City of Gardens.