The world premiere of the symphonic poem Thrace by Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova on 14 October gives the start to the new season of the Bulgarian National Radio’s Symphony Orchestra with conductor Maestro Rossen Gergov in Bulgaria Hall. The concert will also feature two of the most vivid works by Russia’s most acclaimed composers.

Maestro Rossen Gergov is laureate of the First International Evgeny Svetlanov International Conducting Competition in 2007. His recording of works by David Cesky with the NorrlandsOperan Symphony Orchestra was nominated for a Grammy in 2008. Gergov has made recordings for the BBC, for Bavarian Radio and ORF Austria. He has been chief conductor of the BNR Symphony Orchestra since the beginning of the year.

Here is Maestro Gergov about what the concert will feature and about some upcoming events:

“I put a lot of thought into what the opening programme should include because every beginning is important and is an indication of our orchestra’s policy. It includes a host of works by Bulgarian composers, as well as two international premieres. To my mind it is important to present more Bulgarian works as well as works that have not been performed and are unfamiliar to audiences. That is the reason why I selected Dobrinka Tabakova whose work we shall be starting the concert with. I picked her because she is a young and talented Bulgarian composer who has a brilliant career globally, a composer of the future. Her music is really interesting and well worth performing. We have a magnificent soloist from Austria – Julian Hedenborg. I chose him because he represents the young generation of boisterous musicians, very charismatic and intense and a great inspiration. He always grabs the audience. He will be playing Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 2 for Piano. For the finale I have selected Petrushka by Stravinsky, a virtuoso orchestral work, a challenge to perform by any orchestra. It is not something performed often in Bulgaria. Most orchestras prefer Firebird or the Rite of Spring, but I opted for Petrushka. The programme really is fascinating and the audience will thoroughly enjoy it, I am sure.”

Young and talented composer Dobrinka Tabakova was born in Plovdiv but lives and works in London. She started composing at a very young age. In 2014 Tabakova’s album String Paths was nominated in two of the 56 Grammy categories, one of them for best album. She has a Grammy nomination again this year. Tabakova was selected to compose a cantata to mark 400 years since the death of William Shakespeare. The Immortal Shakespeare cantata which had its premiere in April 2016 at the Holy Trinity cathedral in Stratford-upon-Avon will be presented in Sofia soon.

“I have been working with the BNR Symphony Orchestra for ten years and now I shall have the honour of opening season 2016-2017, a great privilege indeed,” says Dobrinka Tabakova. “This is the first time I have worked with Rossen Gergov. I am delighted to meet the fellow musicians from the orchestra again. I am very fond of talking about my work. I think it is very important for composers to do everything they can to invite listeners to step into our world. What matters most is for music to be alive and to be presented by us – living composers. This is the way to ensure that this culture will live on. The poem is called Thrace and it is my first symphony work. I wrote it as a student and I have now adapted it for this premiere, here in Sofia. It is inspired by the landscapes of Thrace and the vivid contrast between the lowlands and the mountains. It also carries a shade of nostalgia.”

The audio file features:

- Firebird, Finale by Igor Stravinsky, performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, conductor Rossen Gergov;

- Concerto for Cello and Strings, Part 2 - Longing by Dobrinka Tabakova performed by the Lithuanian Chamber Orchestra, conductor Maxim Rysanov, soloist Kristina Blaumane;

- Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 2 in C Minor Op. 18 Moderato, Part 1 by Rachmaninoff, performed by the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, conductor Jeanne Pierre Wallez, soloist Ivan Drennikov.

English version: Milena Daynova