Presidential concert

Concerts organised by city leaders and heads of state have a long tradition. For centuries, music has accompanied the most important moments of public life – ceremonies, meetings and events at which culture becomes part of a place’s official representation. The Presidential Concert at the Mieczysław Karłowicz Philharmonic in Szczecin is part of this tradition. Its host is the Mayor of Szczecin, and this year’s evening will have a particularly distinctive setting, transporting the audience into the world of the Venetian carnival.

Venice has fascinated artists for centuries. A city built on water, palaces reflected in the canals, lamplight, masks, balls and festivities lasting late into the night have created one of the most recognisable images of the European carnival. During the Presidential Concert, its atmosphere will also come to the stage of our Philharmonic. The programme will include excerpts from La Gioconda by Amilcare Ponchielli – an opera set in Venice – as well as Eine Nacht in Venedig by Johann Strauss, one of the Viennese master’s most spectacular operettas. The light-hearted spirit of the carnival will meet more mysterious and monumental music, represented by Saturn from Gustav Holst’s orchestral suite The Planets. This will therefore be more than simply a ceremonial concert. After all, carnival offers a momentary escape from the rules of everyday life. Behind masks, titles and positions disappear, while official ceremony gives way to music, encounters and the shared experience of the moment.

Szczecin itself will be represented in many ways – through its architecture, symbols and official ceremonies, but also through culture. For years, the Philharmonic has remained one of the most recognisable symbols of the contemporary city, making our symphony hall a natural setting for an event at which Szczecin presents itself through music. In many European traditions, concerts held under the patronage or at the initiative of presidents and city leaders have long been a lasting part of public life. They remind us that culture is not merely an addition to the functioning of a city, but one of the languages through which it defines its identity and celebrates important moments.

On 8 January, Venetian masks, operatic flair, the shimmer of the waltz and a touch of carnival mystery will join this language. The Szczecin Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Przemysław Neumann, while Magdalena Miśka-Jackowska will be our guide through the musical evening.