Wanda Wilkomirska
Encyclopedia
Wanda Wiłkomirska is a Polish
violin
ist and teacher. She is known for both the classical repertoire and for her interpretation of 20th century music, having received two Polish State Awards for promoting Polish music to the world and also other awards for her contribution to music. She has given world premiere performances of numerous contemporary works including Tadeusz Baird
and Krzysztof Penderecki
. She now lives and teaches in Australia
. Wiłkomirska performs on a violin crafted by Pietro Guarneri in 1734 in Venice.
Music Academy in Budapest
in 1950, where she studied under Ede Zathureczki (a student of Jenő Hubay
). She performed in Paris
, which led to Henryk Szeryng
asking her to study with him. She won prizes at competitions in Geneva
(1946), Budapest
(1949) and Leipzig
(the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition
, 1950; 2nd prize), She also studied in Warsaw
under Tadeusz Wroński, who helped her prepare for the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
in Poznań
in December 1952, where she played Karol Szymanowski
’s Concerto No. 1 for the first time (it became a favourite of hers). She shared 2nd prize with Julian Sitkovetsky
; the 1st prize winner was Igor Oistrakh
.
In 1955, Wanda Wiłkomirska performed at the inauguration of the rebuilt Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, with the Poland National Philharmonic Orchestra under Witold Rowicki
. She became the orchestra's principal soloist and gave many performances with the orchestra around the world, with such conductors as Rowicki, Stanisław Wisłocki
and Antoni Wit
. The American impresario Sol Hurok
(who managed such violinists as Isaac Stern
and David Oistrakh
) introduced her to the enthusiastic U.S. and Canadian markets. She has since performed in over 50 countries, in all continents. In the 1960s and 1970s, Wanda Wiłkomirska gave an average of 100 concerts per year.
In 1969, she gave 37 performances in Australia
(a country she later emigrated to). These interpretations won her great acclaim and she received further recital and concert proposals from Australian orchestras. In 1973, she was the first violinist to perform a solo recital in the newly built Sydney Opera House
(she was accompanied by Geoffrey Parsons
).
In 1976 she helped inaugurate the Barbican Hall
in London
with a performance of Benjamin Britten
's Violin Concerto, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
(or Erich Leinsdorf
; sources differ).
In 1982, during the period of martial law in Poland, Wanda Wiłkomirska announced during a concert tour in the West that she would not return to Poland at the end of the tour. One of her sons, Arthur, also defected to West Germany.
In 1983, she accepted the chair of music professor at the Heidelberg-Mannheim Hochschule für Musik. Since that time, teaching has become her great passion and an opportunity to share her instrumental skills and experience as a musician with the next generation of virtuosos.
In 1999 she joined the teaching staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
and since February 2001 has also worked for the Australian National Academy of Music
in Melbourne
. Wanda Wiłkomirska continues to be a part of musical life in Europe, flying between the two continents for concerts, master classes and competitions, whilst remaining involved in musical life in Australia.
Wanda Wiłkomirska is often a jury member at violin competitions, such as those held in: Moscow
, Tokyo
, London, Munich
, Vienna
, Graz
, Hanover
, Gorizia
, and in Poland, in Poznań, Kraków
, Łódź and Lublin
.
, Daniel Barenboim
, Gidon Kremer
, Martha Argerich
, Kim Kashkashian
and Mischa Maisky
. She has performed at such festivals as: "Bravo Maestro", Gidon Kremer and Friends in Kuhmo
, and Martha Argerich and Friends in Bochum
.
's Violin Concerto No. 5 (1951) and Violin Concerto No. 7 (1979), Tadeusz Baird
's Expressions (1959), Augustyn Bloch
's Dialogues (1966), Krzysztof Penderecki
's Capriccio (1968), Zbigniew Bargielski
's Violin Concerto (1977), Zbigniew Bujarski's Violin Concerto (1980), Roman Maciejewski
's Sonata (1998) and Włodzimierz Kotoński's Violin Concerto (2000).
, Pierre Boulez
, Paul Hindemith
, Otto Klemperer
, Zubin Mehta
, Sir John Barbirolli
, Wolfgang Sawallisch
, Kurt Masur
and Erich Leinsdorf
.
She played only once with Leonard Bernstein
, artistic differences leading them not to repeat the experience.
record company in New York, for which she made 12 albums, some with the pianist Antonio Barbosa. Two of these won awards, namely "Best of the Year" (1972) and the "Grand Prix du Disque" (1974). She has also recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, Naxos, and Polskie Nagrania.
Her recordings include the works of Accolay, Bacewicz, Bach, Baird, Bargielski, Bartok, Beethoven, Augustyn Bloch, Brahms, Bujarski, Dancla, Franck, Handel, Karlowicz, Khachaturian, Kreisler, Martini, Mussorgsky, Pallasz, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Shostakovich, Szymanowski, Tchaikovsky, Viotti and Wieniawski.
(1988–89) and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Poland
, de facto head of state
(1989–90). They had 2 sons, one of whom emigrated to Australia.
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
ist and teacher. She is known for both the classical repertoire and for her interpretation of 20th century music, having received two Polish State Awards for promoting Polish music to the world and also other awards for her contribution to music. She has given world premiere performances of numerous contemporary works including Tadeusz Baird
Tadeusz Baird
Tadeusz Baird was a Polish composer.He was born in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, to Scottish immigrant parents. He studied composition, piano and musicology in Warsaw with, among others, Kazimierz Sikorski. In 1956, with Serocki, he founded the Warsaw Autumn international contemporary music festival...
and Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
. She now lives and teaches in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. Wiłkomirska performs on a violin crafted by Pietro Guarneri in 1734 in Venice.
Biography
Wanda Wiłkomirska first learned the violin from her father, and studied with Irena Dubiska at the Łódź Academy of Music, graduating in 1947. She graduated from the Ferenc LisztFranz Liszt
Franz Liszt ; ), was a 19th-century Hungarian composer, pianist, conductor, and teacher.Liszt became renowned in Europe during the nineteenth century for his virtuosic skill as a pianist. He was said by his contemporaries to have been the most technically advanced pianist of his age...
Music Academy in Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
in 1950, where she studied under Ede Zathureczki (a student of Jenő Hubay
Jeno Hubay
Eugen Huber , better known by his Hungarian name Jenő Hubay , was a Hungarian violinist, composer and music teacher.-Early life:Eugen Huber was born into a German family of musicians in Pest, Hungary...
). She performed in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
, which led to Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng
Henryk Szeryng was a Polish violinist.-Early years:He was born in Żelazowa Wola, Poland on 22 September 1918 into a wealthy family....
asking her to study with him. She won prizes at competitions in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
(1946), Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
(1949) and Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
(the International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition
International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition
The International Johann Sebastian Bach Competition is a music competition in Leipzig, Germany, held by the Bach-Archiv Leipzig. It was founded in 1950 and was held every four years from 1964 to 1996 with five subjects and is now held every two years with three changing subjects...
, 1950; 2nd prize), She also studied in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
under Tadeusz Wroński, who helped her prepare for the Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition
The international Henryk Wieniawski Violin Competition is a competition for violinists up to age 30 that takes place every five years in Poznań, Poland, in honor of the virtuoso and composer Henryk Wieniawski. The first competition took place in 1935 in Warsaw, 100 years after the birth of its...
in Poznań
Poznan
Poznań is a city on the Warta river in west-central Poland, with a population of 556,022 in June 2009. It is among the oldest cities in Poland, and was one of the most important centres in the early Polish state, whose first rulers were buried at Poznań's cathedral. It is sometimes claimed to be...
in December 1952, where she played Karol Szymanowski
Karol Szymanowski
Karol Maciej Szymanowski was a Polish composer and pianist.-Life:Szymanowski was born into a wealthy land-owning Polish gentry family in Tymoszówka, then in the Russian Empire, now in Cherkasy Oblast, Ukraine. He studied music privately with his father before going to Gustav Neuhaus'...
’s Concerto No. 1 for the first time (it became a favourite of hers). She shared 2nd prize with Julian Sitkovetsky
Julian Sitkovetsky
Julian Sitkovetsky was a Russian-Ukrainian violinist.-Biography:Sitkovetsky was born in Kiev. He started violin lesson at age 4, first with his father, then with David Bertie at the Central School in Kiev. As a child prodigy, he was chosen to play for Jacques Thibaud at age 8...
; the 1st prize winner was Igor Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh
Igor Oistrakh is a Russian violinist.He was born in Odessa, Ukraine and is the son of violinist David Oistrakh. He attended the Central Music School in Moscow and made his concert debut in 1948. From 1949 to 1955 he studied at the Moscow Conservatory, winning first prizes and international...
.
In 1955, Wanda Wiłkomirska performed at the inauguration of the rebuilt Warsaw Philharmonic Concert Hall, with the Poland National Philharmonic Orchestra under Witold Rowicki
Witold Rowicki
Witold Rowicki was a Polish conductor. He held principal conducting positions with the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra and the Bamberg Symphony Orchestra.His recordings include:...
. She became the orchestra's principal soloist and gave many performances with the orchestra around the world, with such conductors as Rowicki, Stanisław Wisłocki
Stanisław Wisłocki
Stanisław Wisłocki was a Polish conductor of classical music who performed and recorded with many internationally renowned orchestras, ensembles and virtuoso musicians and is highly regarded for his interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Schumann and Tchaikovsky.-Early...
and Antoni Wit
Antoni Wit
Antoni Wit is a Polish conductor. He is the present musical director of the Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra.Wit graduated from Kraków's State Higher School of Music, studying conducting under Henryk Czyz and composition under Krzysztof Penderecki, going on to study under Nadia Boulanger in...
. The American impresario Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok
Sol Hurok was a world-famous 20th century American impresario.-Biography:...
(who managed such violinists as Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern
Isaac Stern was a Ukrainian-born violinist. He was renowned for his recordings and for discovering new musical talent.-Biography:Isaac Stern was born into a Jewish family in Kremenets, Ukraine. He was fourteen months old when his family moved to San Francisco...
and David Oistrakh
David Oistrakh
David Fyodorovich Oistrakh , , David Fiodorović Ojstrakh, ; – October 24, 1974, was a Soviet violinist....
) introduced her to the enthusiastic U.S. and Canadian markets. She has since performed in over 50 countries, in all continents. In the 1960s and 1970s, Wanda Wiłkomirska gave an average of 100 concerts per year.
In 1969, she gave 37 performances in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(a country she later emigrated to). These interpretations won her great acclaim and she received further recital and concert proposals from Australian orchestras. In 1973, she was the first violinist to perform a solo recital in the newly built Sydney Opera House
Sydney Opera House
The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue performing arts centre in the Australian city of Sydney. It was conceived and largely built by Danish architect Jørn Utzon, finally opening in 1973 after a long gestation starting with his competition-winning design in 1957...
(she was accompanied by Geoffrey Parsons
Geoffrey Parsons (pianist)
Geoffrey Penwill Parsons AO OBE was an Australian pianist, most particularly notable as an accompanist to singers and instrumentalists...
).
In 1976 she helped inaugurate the Barbican Hall
Barbican Centre
The Barbican Centre is the largest performing arts centre in Europe. Located in the City of London, England, the Centre hosts classical and contemporary music concerts, theatre performances, film screenings and art exhibitions. It also houses a library, three restaurants, and a conservatory...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
with a performance of Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's Violin Concerto, conducted by Sir John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
(or Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
; sources differ).
In 1982, during the period of martial law in Poland, Wanda Wiłkomirska announced during a concert tour in the West that she would not return to Poland at the end of the tour. One of her sons, Arthur, also defected to West Germany.
In 1983, she accepted the chair of music professor at the Heidelberg-Mannheim Hochschule für Musik. Since that time, teaching has become her great passion and an opportunity to share her instrumental skills and experience as a musician with the next generation of virtuosos.
In 1999 she joined the teaching staff of the Sydney Conservatorium of Music
Sydney Conservatorium of Music
The Sydney Conservatorium of Music is one of the oldest and most prestigious music schools in Australia...
and since February 2001 has also worked for the Australian National Academy of Music
Australian National Academy of Music
The Australian National Academy of Music is Australia's centre of excellence responsible for training the country's finest young musicians. Located in the South Melbourne, Victoria, it is a member of the Australian Roundtable for Arts Training Excellence...
in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
. Wanda Wiłkomirska continues to be a part of musical life in Europe, flying between the two continents for concerts, master classes and competitions, whilst remaining involved in musical life in Australia.
Wanda Wiłkomirska is often a jury member at violin competitions, such as those held in: Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, London, Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Gorizia
Gorizia
Gorizia is a town and comune in northeastern Italy, in the autonomous region of Friuli Venezia Giulia. It is located at the foot of the Julian Alps, bordering Slovenia. It is the capital of the Province of Gorizia, and it is a local center of tourism, industry, and commerce. Since 1947, a twin...
, and in Poland, in Poznań, Kraków
Kraków
Kraków also Krakow, or Cracow , is the second largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in the Lesser Poland region, the city dates back to the 7th century. Kraków has traditionally been one of the leading centres of Polish academic, cultural, and artistic life...
, Łódź and Lublin
Lublin
Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 . Lublin is also the largest Polish city east of the Vistula river...
.
Chamber music
Wanda Wiłkomirska has often performed in a piano trio, accompanied by her sister Maria at the piano and her brother Kazimierz on the cello, as the Wiłkomirska Trio. She has also played with Krystian ZimermanKrystian Zimerman
Krystian Zimerman is a Polish classical pianist who is widely regarded as one of the finest living pianists.-Biography:...
, Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim
Daniel Barenboim, KBE is an Argentinian-Israeli pianist and conductor. He has served as music director of several major symphonic and operatic orchestras and made numerous recordings....
, Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer
Gidon Kremer is a Latvian violinist and conductor. In 1980 he left the USSR and settled in Germany.-Biography:Kremer was born in Riga to parents of German-Jewish and Latvian-Swedish origins. He began playing the violin at the age of four, receiving instruction from his father and his grandfather,...
, Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich
Martha Argerich is an Argentine pianist.-Early life:Argerich was born in Buenos Aires and started playing the piano at age three...
, Kim Kashkashian
Kim Kashkashian
Kim Kashkashian is an Armenian-American violist.-Professional career:Kim Kashkashian studied the viola with Karen Tuttle. She also studied at the Interlochen Center for the Arts. She won the 2nd prize at the 1980 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the 1980 ARD International Music...
and Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky
Mischa Maisky is a Latvian cellist.Maisky began studies at the Leningrad Conservatory and later with Mstislav Rostropovich at the Moscow Conservatory whilst pursuing a concert career throughout the Soviet Union. In 1966 he won 6th Prize at the Moscow International Tchaikovsky Competition. In 1970,...
. She has performed at such festivals as: "Bravo Maestro", Gidon Kremer and Friends in Kuhmo
Kuhmo
Kuhmo is a town and a municipality in Finland and is part of the Kainuu region. The municipality has a population of and covers an area of of which is water. The population density is . It has a borderline of with Russia....
, and Martha Argerich and Friends in Bochum
Bochum
Bochum is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany. It is located in the Ruhr area and is surrounded by the cities of Essen, Gelsenkirchen, Herne, Castrop-Rauxel, Dortmund, Witten and Hattingen.-History:...
.
Premiere performances
Wiłkomirska gave premiere performances of various Polish contemporary compositions, such as: Grażyna BacewiczGrazyna Bacewicz
Grażyna Bacewicz was a Polish composer and violinist. She is only the second Polish female composer to have achieved national and international recognition, the first being Maria Szymanowska in the early 19th century.- Life :Bacewicz was born in Łódź...
's Violin Concerto No. 5 (1951) and Violin Concerto No. 7 (1979), Tadeusz Baird
Tadeusz Baird
Tadeusz Baird was a Polish composer.He was born in Grodzisk Mazowiecki, to Scottish immigrant parents. He studied composition, piano and musicology in Warsaw with, among others, Kazimierz Sikorski. In 1956, with Serocki, he founded the Warsaw Autumn international contemporary music festival...
's Expressions (1959), Augustyn Bloch
Augustyn Bloch
Augustyn Bloch was a Polish composer and organist, student of Feliks Rączkowski and Tadeusz Szeligowski...
's Dialogues (1966), Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki
Krzysztof Penderecki , born November 23, 1933 in Dębica) is a Polish composer and conductor. His 1960 avant-garde Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima for string orchestra brought him to international attention, and this success was followed by acclaim for his choral St. Luke Passion. Both these...
's Capriccio (1968), Zbigniew Bargielski
Zbigniew Bargielski
Zbigniew Bargielski, born 21 January 1937 in Łomża, is a Polish composer and teacher. His works have been performed in many European countries, the United States, Australia and South America...
's Violin Concerto (1977), Zbigniew Bujarski's Violin Concerto (1980), Roman Maciejewski
Roman Maciejewski
Roman Maciejewski , Polish composer.Studied in Julius Stern Conservatorium in Berlin, later with Stanisław Wiechowicz and Kazimierz Sikorski in Poznań Conservatory, then continued with Kazimierz Sikorski in Warsaw Conservatory. In his early years highly acclaimed by Karol Szymanowski...
's Sonata (1998) and Włodzimierz Kotoński's Violin Concerto (2000).
Conductors and orchestras
Wanda Wiłkomirska has given recitals and performed symphonic concerts in many famous halls, including: Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Leipzig Gewandhaus, the Royal Festival Hall, the Pyotr Tchaikovsky Hall in Moscow and the Berlin Philharmonic Hall. She has performed with the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Hallé Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, the Sydney Symphony Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and the Berliner Philharmonic, with such celebrated conductors as: Paul KletzkiPaul Kletzki
Paul Kletzki was a Polish conductor and composer.Born Paweł Klecki in Łódź, Poland, he later adopted the German spelling Paul Kletzki. He joined its Philharmonic Orchestra at the age of fifteen. After serving in the First World War, he studied philosophy at the University of Warsaw before moving...
, Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez
Pierre Boulez is a French composer of contemporary classical music, a pianist, and a conductor.-Early years:Boulez was born in Montbrison, Loire, France. As a child he began piano lessons and demonstrated aptitude in both music and mathematics...
, Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith
Paul Hindemith was a German composer, violist, violinist, teacher, music theorist and conductor.- Biography :Born in Hanau, near Frankfurt, Hindemith was taught the violin as a child...
, Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer
Otto Klemperer was a German conductor and composer. He is widely regarded as one of the leading conductors of the 20th century.-Biography:Otto Klemperer was born in Breslau, Silesia Province, then in Germany...
, Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta
Zubin Mehta is an Indian conductor of western classical music. He is the Music Director for Life of the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra.-Biography:...
, Sir John Barbirolli
John Barbirolli
Sir John Barbirolli, CH was an English conductor and cellist. Born in London, of Italian and French parentage, he grew up in a family of professional musicians. His father and grandfather were violinists...
, Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch is a retired German conductor and pianist.-Biography:Sawallisch was born in Munich, and studied composition and pianoforte there privately: at the conclusion of the war, in 1946 he continued his studies at the Munich High School for Music and passed his final examination for...
, Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur
Kurt Masur is a German conductor, particularly noted for his interpretation of German Romantic music.- Biography :Masur was born in Brieg, Lower Silesia, Germany and studied piano, composition and conducting in Leipzig, Saxony. Masur has been married three times...
and Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf
Erich Leinsdorf was a naturalized American Austrian conductor. He performed and recorded with leading orchestras and opera companies throughout the United States and Europe, earning a reputation for exacting standards as well as an acerbic personality...
.
She played only once with Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
, artistic differences leading them not to repeat the experience.
Recordings
In 1968, she began regularly recording for the Connoisseur SocietyConnoisseur Society
Connoisseur Society is an American audiophile classical music and jazz record label based in New York. It was founded by E. Alan Silver and James Goodfriend. Silver is also leading the company In Sync, which offers remasterings on CDs from tapes and LPs.Silver and Goodfriend helped artists from the...
record company in New York, for which she made 12 albums, some with the pianist Antonio Barbosa. Two of these won awards, namely "Best of the Year" (1972) and the "Grand Prix du Disque" (1974). She has also recorded with Deutsche Grammophon, EMI, Philips, Naxos, and Polskie Nagrania.
Her recordings include the works of Accolay, Bacewicz, Bach, Baird, Bargielski, Bartok, Beethoven, Augustyn Bloch, Brahms, Bujarski, Dancla, Franck, Handel, Karlowicz, Khachaturian, Kreisler, Martini, Mussorgsky, Pallasz, Prokofiev, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Shostakovich, Szymanowski, Tchaikovsky, Viotti and Wieniawski.
Discography
- Wanda Wilkomirska plays Polnish music by Paderewski, Bacewicz, Zarzycki und Bargielski, with Paul Dam, fortepiano, Ambitus, amb97830
- Prokofieff, Two Sonatas for Violin and Piano, with Ann Schein, piano, Connaisseur Society, CD 4079
- Works by Wieniawski, Lipinski and Bacewics with Jadwiga Szamotulska, Gambit 1003-1
- Britten Violinconcerto Warsaw Philharmonic OrchestraWarsaw Philharmonic OrchestraThe Warsaw National Philharmonic Orchestra , one of Poland's premier musical institutions, was established in 1901 on the initiative of an assembly of Polish aristocrats and financiers, as well as musicians...
under the direction of Witold Rowicki, soloist: Wanda WilkomirskaWanda WilkomirskaWanda Wiłkomirska is a Polish violinist and teacher. She is known for both the classical repertoire and for her interpretation of 20th century music, having received two Polish State Awards for promoting Polish music to the world and also other awards for her contribution to music...
, 1967, Orchestral Concert CDs, CD12/2011
Personal life
Wanda Wiłkomirska's marriage to Mieczysław Rakowski ended in divorce. He later became Prime Minister of PolandPrime Minister of the Republic of Poland
The Prime Minister of Poland heads the Polish Council of Ministers and directs their work, supervises territorial self-government within the guidelines and in ways described in the Constitution and other legislation, and acts as the superior for all government administration workers...
(1988–89) and First Secretary of the Communist Party of Poland
Communist Party of Poland
The Communist Party of Poland is a historical communist party in Poland. It was a result of the fusion of Social Democracy of the Kingdom of Poland and Lithuania and the Polish Socialist Party-Left in the Communist Workers Party of Poland .-1918-1921:The KPRP was founded on 16 December 1918 as...
, de facto head of state
Head of State
A head of state is the individual that serves as the chief public representative of a monarchy, republic, federation, commonwealth or other kind of state. His or her role generally includes legitimizing the state and exercising the political powers, functions, and duties granted to the head of...
(1989–90). They had 2 sons, one of whom emigrated to Australia.
Honours
- Polish State Awards (1952, 1964)
- Commander Cross of the Rebirth of Poland Order (1981)
- Commander Cross with a Star (2001)
- medal for her work for the Polish community in Australia (2005)
- Award of the Karol Szymanowski Foundation (1997) for “a special emphasis on Karol Szymanowski's music; unique, ardent and expressive interpretation thereof; and propagation of his music worldwide.”
- Honorary Doctorate from the Music Academy in Łódź (2006).