The concerto that Philip Glass wrote for Dennis Russell Davis was performed in Sofia
There are not many conductors who can say: “I was there when this work was born.“ Dennis Russell Davis is one of them.
On October 29, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra presented an unusual, emotional meeting. On the stage of the “Bulgaria“ Hall, Dennis Russell Davis – the conductor, whose name is inextricably linked to the work of Philip Glass, and the soloist was the Austrian violinist Benjamin Herzl.
Few know the story behind Philip Glass's First Violin Concerto. For years, Dennis Russell Davis convinced the composer that it was time to write a major violin concerto. Glass hesitated for a long time, but finally accepted the challenge. Thus, in 1987, a work was born, which today is among the most performed contemporary violin concertos in the world.
Almost four decades later, it was Dennis Russell Davis who arrived in Sofia to conduct the work, whose history began with his conviction and faith in its creation. Few conductors can tell this music so from the inside.
The soloist will be Benjamin Herzl - one of the most interesting representatives of the young generation of Austrian violinists, who impresses with an intelligent reading and exceptional sensitivity to the contemporary repertoire.
In the second part of the evening, the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra performed Anton Bruckner's Sixth Symphony. This is a work that reveals another world. If in Glass the music moves with a pulse that gradually captivates the listener, in Bruckner the sound unfolds like a majestic architecture, built with patience and spaciousness.
This was a concert for connoisseurs of symphonic music. But not only that.
If you have never listened to a symphony concert, this was definitely one of the best evenings with which you could start.
Philip Glass's music is immediate, moving and accessible, and the meeting with Dennis Russell Davis makes the performance a rare opportunity to hear the work from the man who stands at the very beginning of its history.
Dennis Russell Davis
Dennis Russell Davis (1944) is among the most authoritative American conductors with an international career spanning leading opera houses and symphony orchestras in Europe, the USA and Asia.
He has held the positions of general music director of the Stuttgart State Opera and the Bonn Opera, principal conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra orchestra, the Basel Symphony Orchestra and the Bruckner Orchestra in Linz. He was artistic director and chief conductor of the Brno Philharmonic and chief conductor of the MDR Symphony Orchestra in Leipzig.
He has appeared as a guest with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Gewandhaus Orchestra and leading American orchestras. He has conducted over 140 new opera productions, including at the Metropolitan Opera and the Bayreuth and Salzburg Festivals.
He is particularly known for his contributions to contemporary music and his long-standing collaborations with composers such as Philip Glass, John Cage, Luciano Berio and Arvo Pärt. His discography includes complete recordings of symphonies by Bruckner, Haydn, Honegger and Philip Glass.
He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a recipient of the highest state awards from Germany, Austria and France.
Benjamin Herzl
Born in 1994 in Salzburg, Benjamin Herzl is among the prominent Austrian violinists of his generation. He is distinguished by his virtuoso technique, musical sensitivity and diverse repertoire.
He studied at the Mozarteum in Salzburg and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Vienna, as well as with world-renowned violinists such as Christian Tetzlaff, Julian Rachlin and Pierre Amoyal. He is a laureate of the International Johannes Brahms Competition and winner of the “Mozart“ Prize, established by Vadim Repin.
He performs concerts in prestigious halls such as the Musikverein and Konzerthaus in Vienna, the Berlin Philharmonic and the Great Festival Hall in Salzburg. He works with orchestras such as the Deutsches Symphonieorchester in Berlin, the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and the “Tonkunstler“ Orchestra from Lower Austria. An active chamber musician, he collaborates with prominent performers and appears at international festivals.
Among his recordings stands out Kurt Weill's Violin Concerto with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra conducted by H. K. Gruber, released by BIS Records in 2025.
He is the founder and artistic director of the “Concerti Corti“ festival in Salzburg.
Olya Al-Ahmed