site.btaSofia Philharmonic to Perform in Grand Hall at Berlin Philharmonic

The Sofia Philharmonic will perform on the stage of the Berlin Philharmonic on December 12, as one of the most significant events in the field of Bulgarian-German cultural relations in recent years, Borislav Petranov, director of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute (BCI) in Berlin, told BTA. The event will take place on December 12, and is organized by the BCI in Berlin.

Petranov expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Culture of Bulgaria for the special financial support for this project and to the Embassy of Bulgaria in Germany for the invaluable help in its organization.

Throughout 2022, the Berlin BCI celebrated 60 years since its establishment, added Petranov. The Cultural Institute was opened on January 17, 1962 in East Berlin and to this day helps popularize Bulgaria and its rich culture in Germany.

The programme includes Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3 by Pancho Vladigerov and Symphony No. 4 by Felix Mendelssohn-Bartholdi. The event will feature soloist virtuoso Bulgarian pianist Ludmil Angelov, and conductor Maestro Nayden Todorov.

Pancho Vladigerov (1899-1978) was a classic Bulgarian composer, who authored a significant number of compositions in almost all genres. Among Vladigerov's piano concertos, the most popular is the Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 3, opus 31, in B flat minor. It was composed in 1936 for the opening of the new large Bulgaria concert hall in Sofia on October 9, 1937.

Felix Mendelssohn remains to this day among the most widely popular composers of particular importance to the musical culture of Germany in the early Romantic era.