On February 10^th, Martijn returned to the National Philharmonic Hall in Warsaw to lead Sinfonia Varsovia in a program with music by Dutilleux, Martinů and Brahms. This project marked his fourth collaboration with the Polish orchestra.
After his acclaimed debut in October 2022, Martijn was immediately reinvited to conduct Sinfonia Varsovia at the Lutsosławski Festival in February 2023. This year’s concert juxtaposed Brahms Third Symphony with two works from the middle of the 20^th century – a concert suite from the Ballet Le Loup by Henri Dutilleux as well as Martinů’s first violin concerto, performed by Josef Špaček.

Polish Classical Music magazine Ruch Muzyczny revied the concert and wrote that “… the audience really got something extra from this conductor. The rarely performed ballet [by Dutilleux] was reflected onto the concert stage, when Dendievel turned the podium into a dance floor. During Brahms’ Symphony No. 3, the audience sank back in their seats, unbuttoned their collars and closed their eyes. We listened and drifted away…”.

Music critic Marcin Zgliński praises “how much [Martijn’s] gestures include both panache and finesse, confidence and precision. You could see and hear the solid work put into the preparation of the pieces, nothing was done for effect, the effect came from the superbly brought out qualities of the music itself”. Furthermore, he created “just the right counter-balance to the soloist’s energy, temperament and virtuosity”. In the Brahms symphony, Zgliński remarked that Martijn “is able to give this music the right pulse, to breathe into it a kind of sensuality just slightly breaking through from under the classical form.”

In the next season, Martijn will return to Sinfonia for performances with pianist Rafał Blechacz.