Fifth Symphonies by Beethoven and Tchaikovsky were on the programme of last night’s concert of the National Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra in its home town of Katowice, in celebration of 75 years of playing the world‘s greatest music.

The concert, also with Jerzy Semkow, one of Poland’s top maestros of the older generation on the conductor’s podium, will be repeated on Monday at Warsaw’s Grand Theatre.

The National Polish Radio SO was founded in 1935 in Warsaw by Grzegorz Fitelberg, who led the ensemble until the outbreak of World War II. In 1945, the orchestra was given a new lease of life in Katowice by Witold Rowicki.

In 1947 Fitelberg returned to Poland and became the orchestra’s Artistic Director. After his death in 1953, the ensemble was headed by some of the best Polish conductors, including Jan Krenz (1953-68), Kazimierz Kord (1969-73), Antoni Wit (1983-2000) and Gabriel Chmura (2001-2007). They were succeeded by Jacek Kaspszyk, who became the orchestra’s Music Director in 2009.

The orchestra has worked closely with famous Polish composers – Krzysztof Penderecki, Wojciech Kilar and the late Witold Lutosławski and Henryk Mikołaj Górecki. It has recorded over 200 LPs and CDs for such labels as Decca, EMI, Philips and NAXOS. (mk)