Daniel Stabrawa

 

was accepted into the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra as 1st violinist in 1983. After a short time and under Karajan’s protective and encouraging hand, he attained the position of 1st concertmaster. Since then, Daniel Stabrawa has been able to perform as a soloist on the world’s greatest stages with renowned conductors and orchestras.

 

Daniel Stabrawa performed Karol Szymanowski’s Violin Concerto No. 1 with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the first artist to bring this kind of music to the then politically Western culture. As a Pole, he felt himself an ambassador of his native music and represented it throughout the world: from the Berlin Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons to London with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, across Europe and Asia.

 

As a chamber musician, he is active as primarius of the Philharmonic Quartet Berlin. The quartet has recorded complete cycles of Schumann, Brahms and Beethoven and has also performed both Szymanowski quartets. The Quartet was always a welcome guest in the world’s most important music centers. The Philharmonic Quartet Berlin has twice been awarded the “Echo Klassik” German Record Critics Prize.

 

As conductor, Daniel Stabrawa was appointed to the principal position of the Polish Chamber Orchestra Capella Bydgostiensis (Bydgoszcz) for nine years. Numerous recordings have also appeared in this role, including soloist Albrecht Mayer and the Romantic Oboe Concertos. In both roles simultaneously, as conductor and soloist, Daniel Stabrawa released the 1st, 4th and 5th Violin Concertos by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. In addition, Daniel Stabrawa leads various orchestras in Europe as concertmaster and conductor.

 

Daniel Stabrawa’s chamber music partners include Yefim Bronfman, Murray Perahia, Emmanuel Ax, Rafał Blechacz and Nigel Kennedy, with whom he recorded Vivaldi and Bach Double Concertos as soloist (EMI) and also toured with him. He has performed with his wife Elżbieta Stępień-Stabrawa from his earliest youth until today. She was his only pianist for over 30 years, with whom he performed chamber music for piano and violin in numerous tours.

 

Daniel Stabrawa sees it as his task, in the role of a tutor at master classes and as a juror at various competitions, to convey the true value of instrumental playing: Making music! With violin concertos by S. Prokofiev, K. Weill, W. A. Mozart, K. Szymanowski, L. von Beethoven, J. Hubay and Rudi Stephan, the violinist played under K. Sanderling, Mariss Jansons, Ivan Fischer, H. Blomstedt and the new designated head of the Berlin Philharmonic, Kirill Petrenko. The Violin Concerto No. 2 by K. Szymanowski will be newly introduced to the orchestra’s repertoire by Daniel Stabrawa together with Simon Rattle.

 

Daniel Stabrawa was a permanent member of the orchestra for 38 years and is happy and grateful every day to be able to make music all over the world in the role of concertmaster, as a conductor, as a soloist and as a chamber musician.

 

photo: Sebastian Hänel