Official Opening of Varna Summer IMF 2023

Varna State Opera Symphony Orchestra

Conductor: Ivan Kozhuharov

Soloist: Romain Leleu – trumpet

Pancho Vladigerov – Vardar Rhapsody
Arutiunian -Trumpet Concerto
Tchaikovsky – Symphony No4

Opening concert of Varna Summer IMF with famous musicians

Varna State Opera Symphony Orchestra will set the tone for this year’s edition of the oldest festival in Bulgaria – Varna Summer International Music Festival. The opening concert will be conducted by Ivan Kozhuharov – his impressive journey in music includes studying with Arvid and Mariss Jansons in Sankt-Petersburg’s “Rimsky-Koraskov” State Music Academy. He graduated with flying colors and soon after that became one of the prize-winners at the Herbert von Karajan contest. Then in 1980 he was a laureate and winner of Bella Bartok Grand Prix at the 3rd International Competition for Conductors in Budapest. Since 1985 he has been leading the Burgas Symphony Orchestra being at the same time guest conductor for the President orchestra in Ankara and Prima la Musica in Belgium. The rich and beautiful opening program starts, as traditions dictate, with Vardar Rhapsody by Pancho Vladigerov followed by the glamorous and sparkling Concert for trumpet and orchestra by the Armenian composer Aleksander Arutiunian. Romain Leleu is coming to Varna for this special event. He represents in the best possible way the traditional French trumpet school. Virtuoso with large repertoire, eager to premiere new works, he has appeared as a soloist of the main French and world orchestras. He played in Varna Festival with great acclaim in 2019 with his ensemble Convergences.

The final of the opening night is for the Tchaikovsky’s Fourth Symphony in which he explores the “fate, that inescapable force” on the way to happiness and is referred often as a description of composer’s life. Rich and powerful program, virtuoso soloist, eminent conductor – there is no better way to start the festival!

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