10th August 19:30, 11th August 19:30, Usher Hall Edinburgh

The NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, resident at the National Forum of Music in Wrocław, takes centre stage as the flagship ensemble of the Focus on Poland series during their International Festival Residency.

10th August – NFM Leopoldinum: Bizet’s Carmen Suite

Experience the unforgettable music of Bizet’s opera Carmen alongside moving pieces by Bacewicz and Strauss.

This programme spans deep emotion and playful ingenuity, performed by the distinguished NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra under the direction of virtuoso violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky.

Grażyna Bacewicz’s Concerto for String Orchestra is a striking opener – its music shifting from fiercely propulsive to sublimely lyrical. A composer who deserves to be heard more often, Bacewicz brings a distinctive voice to 20th-century string repertoire. Richard Strauss’ Metamorphosen, composed amid the ruins of WWII, is steeped in grief and loss. In its long, intertwining lines, Strauss mourns a shattered world. 

In contrast, Wojciech Kilar’s symphonic work is inspired by the river Orawa which runs through the Polish mountains to the Slovakian border. 

Finally Rodion Shchedrin’s Carmen Suite bursts with theatrical flair. His reimagining of Georges Bizet’s opera – written for his ballerina wife – transforms its melodies into a thrilling ballet suite for strings and percussion.

Book Tickets HERE

11th August – NFM Leopoldinum: Benedetti & Sitkovetsky’s Tribute to Menuhin

Violin luminaries Nicola Benedetti and Alexander Sitkovetsky join NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra in a poignant tribute to their mentor.

Yehudi Menuhin, one of the foremost violinists of the 20th century, is honoured in this tribute by two of his former pupils: Festival Director Nicola Benedetti and fellow violin virtuoso Alexander Sitkovetsky.

Benedetti takes centre stage for Edward Elgar’s much-loved Serenade for Strings and Béla Bartók’s exhilarating, folk-infused Divertimento, while Sitkovetsky steps into the spotlight for Andrzej Panufnik’s haunting Violin Concerto, written in 1971 to showcase Menuhin’s profound ‘spiritual and poetic’ musicianship. The two soloists join forces in the dazzling interplay of Johann Sebastian Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins.

This deeply personal programme features the original 2023 cohort of Rising Stars throughout. Rising Stars is our mentorship scheme for up-and-coming musicians which embodies Menuhin’s lifelong commitment to nurturing talent and extending his influence across generations.

Book Tickets HERE

Part of our Focus on Poland series featuring seven concerts celebrating Polish culture, supported by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage Republic of Poland, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of Poland, alongside the Adam Mickiewicz Institute and Polish Cultural Institute in London.  Also supproted by the British Council as part of the UK/Poland Season 2025.

See the Full Focus on Poland Programme HERE