Interview: Conductor Mateusz Molęda Discusses His 1st Performance at Philharmonie, Working With OCL

On the evening of Tuesday 7 October 2025, for the first time, the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg (Luxembourg Chamber Orchestra- OCL) performed at the Philharmonie Luxembourg under the direction of German-Polish conductor Mateusz Molęda.

The concert, titled “Casser les murs” (“Breaking down walls”) took place in the Philharmonie’s Grand Auditorium and featured works by Wojciech Kilar, Dmitri Chostakovitch and Robert Schumann.

Ahead of the performance, Chronicle.lu spoke to conductor Mateusz Molęda about his first appearance at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, performing with the OCL and how he prepares and unwinds after such concerts.

Chronicle.lu: Mateusz, you have guest conducted in many different countries around the world but this will be your first performance in the Grand Duchy. Please explain the process behind you coming to perform in Luxembourg.

Mateusz Molęda: One of my best friends, the outstanding German pianist Joseph Moog, has performed with the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg on several occasions and also invited the orchestra to give a concert in his hometown of Neustadt an der Weinstraße, where he is a cultural ambassador. It was there that he drew my attention to the artistic quality and profile of the orchestra. After a personal meeting with the president and board of directors back in 2024, the orchestra invited me to conduct two concerts with different programs in the 2025/26 season.

Chronicle.lu: What are you most looking forward to about your first performance at Philharmonie Luxembourg with the Orchestre de Chambre du Luxembourg?    

Mateusz Molęda: An orchestra like the OCL not only plays very well, it is made up of passionate musicians who perform with all their hearts and who are also curious. That is ideal because it allows you to rehearse in greater detail and really create something together within a short period of time, which also helps the musicians to develop. Some colleagues have told me that the acoustics in the Philharmonie are exceptionally transparent. I very much look forward to experiencing this for myself. I have already told the orchestra that I will let them play some passages without me during the dress rehearsal and then move around the hall to get an impression of the Grand Auditorium from different seats, so that I can adjust the balance if necessary.

Chronicle.lu: You will conduct three contrasting pieces at the Philharmonie Luxembourg: Wojciech Kilar’s Orawa, Dmitri Shostakovich’s Cello Concerto No. 1, and Robert Schumann’s Symphony No. 2. Please explain the reasoning behind your selection of these pieces and describe some of the challenges involved in conducting them.

Mateusz Molęda: The motto of our concert, “Casser les murs”, came from the orchestra, and we then tried to find works that fit into this context. I really enjoyed the process behind this and I also think it is great that we are moving away from this dictatorial principle where the conductor alone makes the decisions. I prefer dialogue, in this case with the conseil des musiciens. Instead of Schumann's Second, it was originally supposed to be Mendelssohn's Third, but that will be played by another orchestra at the Philharmonie two weeks later. The so-called “Scottish Symphony” would have fit the motto even better, because Mendelssohn was inspired to compose it by the ruins of a chapel with broken stones, as he wrote in a letter to his parents. Schumann's Second is a kind of liberation, a tearing down of the walls of demons that had arisen in his mind. It falls into a creative period when he actually wanted to become Gewandhauskapellmeister (chief conductor/music director) in Leipzig but was denied the position. And Shostakovich was someone who tears down walls... that goes without saying. Mstislav Rostropovich, to whom the piece is dedicated, sat on the Berlin Wall when it fell and played music. Kilar's Orawa was entirely my idea. I have two cultural identities: German and Polish. I was born in Germany, my parents came to Germany from Poland over 40 years ago, and I grew up with both languages, traditions and cultures. I have always made it my mission to include a work by a Polish composer in the programme whenever possible, and I am delighted that the OCL has responded to this idea with great curiosity and respect. The greatest challenge in our programme is switching instantly between the musical styles of all three works, which could not be more different. There is Kilar with his Polish folk-inspired sound world, then the dark, sardonic, expressive Shostakovich, and in the second part, Schumann, the Rhineland-German Romantic. A real task!

Chronicle.lu: Please describe your process of preparation for a performance like the one at the Philharmonie Luxembourg.

Mateusz Molęda: As a conductor, I do most of my work at home at my desk. That is where I study the scores. However, you cannot imagine this task as an office job. It is driven by inspiration. I live in a small village in northern Germany on the Baltic Sea. I enjoy long walks through the forest, on the beach and along the cliffs to find inspiration. The images I see flow into my interpretations.   

 Chronicle.lu: When you step away from the intensity of a performance, what do you like to do to unwind?

Mateusz Molęda: After the concert, I really enjoy eating well, purist style, a well-cooked steak, some grilled vegetables, accompanied by red wine, preferably French Pinot Noir from the Côte d'Or. In the long term, golf and archery allow me to relax in nature. Both sports also improve my concentration, muscle memory and build my stamina. There is also a famous quote about golf by Lee Trevino, but readers will have to look that up for themselves. All I can say is that it is absolutely true.

Chronicle.lu: Which aspects of your work as a conductor do you carry into your everyday life? 

Mateusz Molęda: Music is everywhere - in forests, movies and at Christmas. Without music, many moments in life would be meaningless. Imagine walking in the woods without hearing birds sing. Or the shower scene in Hitchcock's Psycho without the music? Imagine Christmas without Christmas carols. It is all unimaginable. Without music, none of these things would have any effect, let alone any deeper meaning. As a conductor, I have the privilege of engaging with music and the work of the absolute greatest masters and geniuses day by day: Bach, Beethoven, Mozart, Schumann, Brahms, Wagner and Strauss. Believe me, it makes you very humble. I learn every day to treat people with respect and I strive to act according to Kant's categorical imperative every day. 

During his career, Mateusz Molęda has worked with the Staatskapelle Dresden, the Deutsche Radio Philharmonie Saarbrücken Kaiserslautern, the Dortmund Philharmonic Orchestra, the Orchestra of the Komische Oper Berlin, the Nuremberg Symphony Orchestra, the London Mozart Players, the Aarhus Symfoniorkester, the Odense Symfoniorkester, the Warsaw Philharmonic, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others. In October 2023, he won 1st Prize and the Special Prize of the Orchestra at the International Sergei Kussewitzky Conducting Competition. He holds a teaching position at the Mannheim University of Music and Performing Arts.