Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Sofia Philharmonic receives standing ovation at the Musikverein

Photo: facebook/sofiaphilharmonic

The Sofia Philharmonic's concert in the ˮGolden Hallˮ of the Musikverein last night was completely sold-out. It was a huge success, the organizers of the event have announced. The two Bulgarian compositions in the programme have aroused particular interest.

Grotesque Symphony Suite “Bai Ganyu” by renouned XX century Bulgarian composer Veselin Stoyanov, was a true surprise for the Vienna audience.

It should be noted that the choice of “Bai Ganyu” was very apt. In 1941, Vesselin Stoyanov created his suite based on Aleko Konstantinov's work, selecting episodes related to the protagonist's trip to Vienna, to the place where the ill-mannered but cunning and combinative Bai Ganyu had set out to do business. The character's uncouth, at times rude and even arrogant behaviour finds its antithesis in the slow movement ˮIn the Villageˮ, which is a celebration of the positive, healthy side of the Bulgarians' value system.

Whether it was the plot or (more likely) Veselin Stoyanov's cheerful, vibrant music that impressed the sophisticated audience, again according to the organizers of the event, the concert by the Bulgarian Philharmonic and Maestro Naiden Todorov won them powerful applause, and after the concert, representatives of one of the leading record companies expressed a desire to record this work with the same orchestra and conductor.

In the audience were directors of several of the world's elite music agencies, as well as the former ambassadors of Italy and Austria to Sofia, the Director General of the Bulgarian Telegraph Agency Mr. Kiril Valchev, Austrian and Bulgarian music critics.
The concert ended with an encore, which the Philharmonic Orchestra performed after a long standing ovation - the brilliant ˮRachenitsaˮ from Petko Stainov's symphonic suite "Thrace", one of the brightest works in Bulgaria’s national musical treasury.

Editing: Albena Bezovska, Elena Karkalanova
English version: Elizabeth Radkova



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Photo: Bulgarian school Rome and Florence

Bulgarian schools abroad turn into research centers for Bulgarian history and culture

"These schools write or restore the history of Bulgaria. Extremely valuable products have been born in recent years. This is a base that can now be used by researchers in Bulgaria and abroad," says Dr. Maya Padeshka - member of the Board of the..

published on 7/20/25 10:35 AM

Pravets Art Nights brings together world and Bulgarian classical music artists

The town of Pravets is becoming a stage for classical music under the open sky . From July 18 to 20, 2025, the picturesque shore of the lake and the central square of the town will host the 20th anniversary edition of Pravets Art Nights - an event that..

published on 7/18/25 7:25 AM
The monument to Vasil Levski in Brampton, Greater Toronto Area, Canada

Bulgarians in Toronto will mark 188 years since the birth of the Apostle of Freedom

The Consulate General of Bulgaria in Toronto, Canada, has extended an invitation to our compatriots in the region to a solemn celebration of the 188th anniversary of the birth of the Apostle of Freedom Vasil Levski.  The consulate's Facebook page..

published on 7/17/25 3:36 PM