site.btaSofia Philharmonic Performs for First Time in Grand Hall of Berlin Philharmonic

The Sofia Philharmonic performed for the first time on the stage of the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic on December 12. The concert took place on the initiative of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute (BCI) in Berlin to mark its 60th anniversary.

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

The concert was attended by Bulgaria's Culture Minister Velislav Minekov, the Bulgarian Ambassador in Berlin, Elena Shekerletova, the Cultural Institute's Director Borislav Petranov, BTA Director General Kiril Valchev, Union of Bulgarian Composers Chair Tsenko Minkin, Katrin Budde, Chair of the Bundestag's Committee on Cultural and Media Affairs, Tim Kurth, President of the German-Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GBCCI), GBCCI CEO/Managing Director Mitko Vassilev, President Rumen Radev's wife Desislava Radeva, Bundestag members and diplomats.

The Sofia Philharmonic's first ever performance in the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic drew praise from many. 

Nayden Todorov: We Have Rarely Been Received with So Much Enthusiasm as in Berlin

A few minutes after the concert, conductor Nayden Todorov told BTA: "We have rarely been received with such a great enthusiasm as here in Berlin." He believes this has paved the way for more concerts in that magnificent hall. "Now we will be talking about future concerts in the cities, including Berlin," Maestro Todorov said.

The audience was wonderful, the conductor said. "Many people came up to me and said they were impressed, and they were amazed there was such an orchestra that they didn't know about. An orchestra with such sound and such colourful playing."

"I think we chose a successful programme - Pancho Vladigerov had a strong connection with this city and Ludmil Angelov is a marvelous pianist and one of the best performers of Vladigerov ever. Moreover, Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 4 'Italian' has a message which is very relevant today: We should look at life with a smile and look for the good, not the bad. And I think this message got through to the audience in Berlin and this was the reason for its reaction," Todorov commented.

"We should also say that the orchestra was very strong. That hall is legendary and the orchestra deserved to perform in it. I am very happy to have conducted the first concert of the Sofia Philharmonic in the hall of the Berlin Philharmonic," Todorov said.

Ludmil Angelov played an encore. "The orchestra didn't, although the audience was very insistent. The applause went on for a very long time. In the end, however, I decided to get the orchestra out because after our performance of Mendelssohn it would have been hard to do something as meaningful," the conductor said.

"To me, the response of the colleagues from the Berlin Philharmonic was important because they hear the world's greatest orchestras. The response of Medici Television that filmed the concert for Medici and Mezzo Television was very important. They said this was something special, which will be talked for a long time."

Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany: Sofia Philharmonic Is Outstanding

Bulgarian Ambassador to Germany Elena Shekerletova told BTA that these musicians "deserve much attention and commendation because they are outstanding". "It was a wonderful concert. The programme and the very mood of the orchestra, the energy between it and the audience added a highly festive spirit to the overall experience. For all of us who had the opportunity to be there, it was an extremely emotional experience. The show was received with great enthusiasm."

"I would say it was equally emotional and energizing for the audience and the musicians," she added. "As organizers, we at the Embassy and the Cultural Institute are very satisfied. The goal of several months of planning was achieved."

The Ambassador thanked the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) for its media partnership with the Sofia Philharmonic. "Your attention is much appreciated because this is an event that deserves to be covered, the more so because it is the first appearance of our philharmonic at this venue. I hope there will be many more such events. It was a great experience ahead of Christmas, and above all, a worthy commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute."

Union of Bulgarian Composers Chairman: Sofia Philharmonic Proved Its Place among World-Class Orchestras

Union of Bulgarian Composers Chairman Tsenko Minkin told BTA the Sofia Philharmonic had a "landmark evening" on Monday. "Moreover, it took place in the iconic hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, which is significant for every world-class musician and orchestra. And this is the first concert the Sofia Philharmonic has given in that hall, which was built directly under Herbert von Karajan's control," Minkin said.

"I would say there was a significant performance last night, a worthy performance by the wonderful Bulgarian musicians and, of course, the fantastic [pianist] Ludmil Angelov. We saw a compact, organized, mobilized philharmonic - mobilized, in the good sense of the word, to prove that it has a place among the world-class orchestras.

"This was a lovely night and we were here to support this performance of Bulgarian musicianship, to empathize and rejoice. The German audience's response was outstanding. I myself would be glad if this is the first of a series of tours of Europe's capitals for the Sofia Philharmonic," Minkin said.

Bulgarian Cultural Institute in Berlin: Sofia Philharmonic Enchanted the City

“After Mendelssohn's Italian Symphony, I can say that the Sofia Philharmonic really enchanted Berlin,” director of the Bulgarian Cultural Institute in the German capital Borislav Petranov told BTA.

"The hall in Berlin is magical. The Bulgarian symphonists were a great success. Ludmil Angelov was called on stage four times, then he performed a work by Chopin. It was filled with much, much, much, much love. It sounded somehow unearthly, which made the hall even more enthusiastic," Petranov said.

"The musicians were brought on stage with applause five times, with many shouts of "Bravo!" and applause that sounded for a long time. I am glad that I was somehow the reason for this first historic concert in the Grand Hall of the Berlin Philharmonic, and I wish from the bottom of my heart that they have many more such concerts in this famous venue," he said.