One of the most famous chamber ensembles in Europe - the Italian quartet – "Cremona" (Quartetto di Cremona), will perform its first concert in Bulgaria.
The event will take place on July 10 in the ceremonial hall of the Military Club in Sofia and will open the summer edition of the Allegra International Music Festival. For their Bulgarian debut, the musicians have prepared a special selection of chamber music by Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi and Franz Schubert. The program is conceived as an elegant bridge between Italian emotionality and the Austro-German classical tradition. Four days later, again on the stage of the Military Club, a meeting with two like-minded people is about to take place - Schumann, who recognizes in the young Brahms "the one who was supposed to come" and Brahms, who carries the aesthetics of his mentor throughout his life.
We will be transported to where the spring euphoria of Robert Schumann's String Quartet in E-flat major meets the autumn wisdom of Johannes Brahms, transformed into his Clarinet Quintet. For this concert, Petar Naydenov gathers an ensemble of virtuosos. Salih Jan Gevrek, Fabio di Cazzola, Eckart Runge, Lech Ushinsky, Stoimen Peev and Valery Sokolov build the dense, warm foundation that reveals the deep emotional layers of the two concert works. This concert evening is special in the festival program – a jewel, due to the presence of real stars of the music scene and the emphasis on chamber concerts, which have been Allegra's specialty since the very beginning of the festival's life.
On July 16, is the evening in which the synergy born from the meeting of the most talented young musicians with the experience of the stars of the world stage is felt – this is in short The Next Generation Orchestra, a project or rather a mission that Allegra is proud of and supports with great love. The best students from the master classes of three great figures in contemporary performing arts will take the stage: Yamei Yu (violin), Konstantin Heydrich (cello), Alexander Gordon Zemtsov and the artistic director and creator of Allegra - Petar Naydenov (double bass). The program unites works in which youthful impulse and respect for tradition are intertwined. The evening begins with Anton Arensky's Variations on a Theme by Tchaikovsky - a musical epitaph to his teacher, transforming sadness into a monument of tradition. This is followed by the audacity of the 17-year-old Mozart and his Violin Concerto No. 1, inspired by the Italian bel canto.
It is no coincidence that the finale of this edition of the jewel of festivals - Allegra is under the motto Triumph of the Spirit. Vienna - the eternal center of attraction of musical genius and the scene of the greatest symphonic triumphs - is the invisible thread in the final evening of this year's edition of the Allegra festival on July 17. The city of the triumphs of Beethoven, Brahms and Strauss-son is at the heart of the festive catharsis. The exceptional Ioanna Goycea, laureate of the most prestigious competitions and holder of the historic „Guadagnini“ from 1761. Its intelligent sound and fiery temperament reveal the deep human emotion of Brahms' Violin Concerto. Under the baton of James Lowe, a master of orchestral balance, the Festival Orchestra “Allegra“ will turn the finale into a sonic fireworks display. Thus the program closes its circle: from the heroic pathos of Beethoven, through the philosophical depth of Brahms, to the sparkling Viennese joy of Strauss – reminding us that art invariably leads to light.
Details about the festival program, soloists, as well as tickets for the concerts can be found HERE . Tickets are also sold in the epayGO network and at Easypay cash desks.
This year, a festival ticket is also provided for the loyal audience of Allegra, which provides access to all concerts at a preferential price.
The Allegra Festival and Academy are held under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland, with the financial support of the Ministry of Culture and the Sofia Municipality – Calendar of Cultural Events and the Bulgarian Cultural Council, the Italian Cultural Institute and the Foundation „Konstantin and Zinovia Katsarovi” and in partnership with NMU “Lyubomir Pipkov”.
