site.btaRomania's Top Conductor Mandeal, Violinist Roussev Star at Sofia Philharmonic First Concert for 2023

Romania's most significant living conductor, Cristian Mandeal, will lead the Sofia Philharmonic with virtuoso Bulgarian violinist Svetlin Roussev as soloist in the orchestra's first concert for 2023 on January 12.

Mozart's celebrated Overture from "The Abduction from the Seraglio" and the Concerto form Violin and Orchestra No. 4 will be performed, along with Brahms's Fourth Symphony.

A student of Herbert von Karajan in Berlin and of Sergiu Celibidache in Munich, Mandeal, 76, was principal conductor and music director of the Bucharest Philharmonic (1987-210) and artistic director of the North Israeli Orchestra, Haifa (1999-2002), the Basque National Orchestra Euskadi Symphony, San Sebastian (2001-2008), permanent conductor of the Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano and Trento (2000-2003), Chief Guest Conductor of the Halle Orchestra, Manchester (2005-2010 - the first to achieve this status in the orchestra's 150-year history), the philharmonic orchestras of Belgrade (2006-2007) and Copenhagen (2006-2013). 

He has conducted world-famous ensembles including the London and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras, the symphony orchestras of BBC, Bavarian Radio, RAI - Milan, Birmingham, Bournemouth, Liverpool, Dresden, Berlin, the Vienna and Berlin Operas, the national orchestras of the Czech Republic, Israel, Belgium, Hungary, Iceland, Catalonia, Rome's Academy of Santa Cecilia, Maggio Fiorentino of Florence, the philharmonic orchestras in Munich, Prague, Dublin, Ljubljana, Sao Paulo, Mexico, Helsinki, Monte Carlo, Copenhagen, Moscow, Warsaw, Barcelona, Sofia, Belgrade, Zagreb and Tokyo.

Mandeal's huge repertoire highlights 19th and 20th century music. He takes credit for over 60 premieres of works by Romanian and foreign composers. A devout promoter of George Enescu's work around the world, the conductor was the first to present the opera "Oedipus" in Britain (Edinburgh Festival, 2002) and Italy (Cagliari, 2005). Since 2008 he has been President of the London Enescu Society.

Having won First Prize, Special Audience Prize and Special Prize for the best interpretation of a Bach concerto at the 1st Sendai International Competition in Japan in 2001, Roussev, 46, has built a remarkable career as a regular guest soloist with the Orchestre National de France, Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, Sendai Philharmonic, Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, Bucharest National George Enescu Orchestra, Romanian National Radio Orchestra, Bulgarian National Radio and Symphony Orchestra, Ankara Presidential Orchestra, and Johannesburg Philharmonic.

He has performed at the Bolshoi Theater, Suntory Hall, Sumida Triphony Center Hall, Seoul Arts Center, Salle Pleyel, Theatre des Champs Elysees, Theatre du Chatelet, Cite de la Musique, the Bulgaria National Concert Hall, Budapest Bela Bartok National Concert Hall, Frankfurt Alte Oper, and Palais des Beaux Arts de Bruxelles, among other major venues.

His enormous repertoire ranges from the Baroque to the contemporary. He is also renowned for his renditions of Slavic works and is among the foremost promoters of Bulgarian music.

Roussev is a founding member of the Roussev-Salque-Rozanova Trio. He has recorded pieces by Pancho Vladiguerov with pianist Elena Rozanova, K. A. Hartmann's Concerto Funebre with the Orchestre d'Auvergne and Arie Van Beek, works of the Franco-Belgian school, and sonatas by Grieg and Medtner.

He is concertmaster of the Orchestre de la suisse romande and a professor at the Haute ecole de musique de Geneve. Roussev plays the Stradivarius 1710 Camposelice violin kindly loaned by the Nippon Music Foundation.