The Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio will open its new season on September 25^th with a concert in Bulgaria Concert Hall in Sofia under the baton of Mark Kadin, the main conductor of the group.

In the first part of the program, in Beethoven’s Concerto No. 3 for piano and orchestra, soloist will be the young Ukrainian pianist Dmytro Choni - winner of prestigious international competitions, including Busoni International Piano Competition (Italy, 2017).

In the second part, the radio symphonists will perform Haydn's Symphony No. 100, known as the Military Symphony, as well as the play "Timber & Steel" by Bulgarian composer Dobrinka Tabakova who shares: "The work was commissioned by the BBC on the occasion of 150 years since the birth of Sir Henry Wood, co-founder of the iconic BBC Proms - the largest classical music festival in England”. The premiere took place in late August 2019, as part of the BBC Proms, performed by the BBC Concert Orchestra and conductor Bramwell Tovey. The Bulgarian premiere of “Timber and Steel” will take place in Sofia in the opening concert of the BNR Symphony Orchestra tomorrow.

Let us recall that Dobrinka Tabakova is among the most prominent young artists on the contemporary stage. She was born in Bulgaria’s second-biggest city Plovdiv, but her family moved to London in 1991 where her career developed. She studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London and graduated the Guildhall School of Music & Drama in London. She holds a PhD in composition from King's College, London. Her works are performed all over the world. Her first album as a composer, String Paths, released by ECM Records, was nominated for a Grammy Award in the Best Classical Compendium category. She has been a resident composer of the BBC Orchestra since 2018.

The program for the new season of the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio includes a number of other premieres, as the instrumentalists and their chief conductor promise intriguing titles, pearls of Bulgarian music and world masterpieces. Distinguished Bulgarian guest conductors and remarkable soloists will join the radio symphonists on the stage during the new season.

Compiled by Albena Bezovska

English Rossitsa Petcova

Photos: BNR - archive