During Saturday’s gala ceremony at Polish Radio’s Witold Lutosławski Concert Studio, Rajski conducted the Polish Radio Orchestra in Warsaw in Antonín Dvořák’s Slavonic Dance in G minor Op. 46 No. 8. It marked Rajski’s return to the ensemble, of which he served as artistic director from 1993 to 2006.
Born in 1948, Rajski graduated with honours from the Academy of Music in Warsaw, where he studied conducting under Bogusław Madey. He then developed his skills in Cologne and Vienna. He made his professional debut in 1972 at the National Opera in Warsaw. He subsequently worked for the Philharmonic Orchestra in Poznań and as principal conductor of the Theater der Stadt Bonn and the Beethovenhalleorchester.
In 1982, he created the Wojciech Rajski Chamber Orchestra, based in the Baltic city of Sopot, which later changed its name to the Polish Chamber Philharmonic Sopot. Rajski led the orchestra for over four decades, taking it on many foreign tours, including to the United States, China, and Japan.
Rajski’s discography includes over 70 albums for EMI, cpo, Chant du Monde, Claves, Thorofon, KOCH, Polskie Radio, and DUX.
Rajski also pursued a teaching career for many years, serving as a professor at the Hochschule für Musik in Karlsruhe, the Hochschule für Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Frankfurt, and the Music Academy in Gdańsk.
The Diamond Baton prize was launched by Polish Radio in 1995. Its previous recipients include the cream of Polish conductors – Jan Krenz, Stefan Rachoń, Stanisław Wisłocki, Antoni Wit, Krzysztof Penderecki, Kazimierz Kord, Stefan Stuligrosz, Jerzy Maksymiuk, Jerzy Semkow, Stanisław Skrowaczewski, Tadeusz Strugała, Jacek Kasprzyk, and Agnieszka Duczmal.
(mk/aj)