Belgrade Philharmonic Comes to Sofia on October 28

On October 28, the Belgrade Philharmonic comes to Bulgaria Hall as part of the Sofia Philharmonic’s World Orchestras series. Joining one of the leading orchestras in the Balkans in Sofia are Czech pianist Lukáš Vondráček and Uroš Lajovic – former Chief Conductor and now Honorary Conductor of the Belgrade Philharmonic.

The programme brings together a work the audience will recognise from its very first chords and music rarely heard outside Serbia: Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 and Petar Konjović’s Symphony in C minor, considered the first symphony in the history of Serbian music.

The Belgrade Philharmonic was founded in 1923 by composer and conductor Stevan Hristić. Over its more than century-long history, the orchestra has worked with some of the greatest names of the 20th century, including Karl Böhm, Leopold Stokowski, Kirill Kondrashin, Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Yehudi Menuhin, David Oistrakh, Arthur Rubinstein, Sviatoslav Richter, Emil Gilels and Mstislav Rostropovich. It has toured throughout Europe, Russia, the United Kingdom, Mexico and Cuba and appeared at festivals including the Prague Spring, Berliner Festspiele, and the festivals in Spoleto, Montreux and Bergen. The orchestra has recorded for Philips, Decca and Electrola, while over the past two decades it has established itself as one of the region’s most recognisable and dynamically developing musical institutions.

Zubin Mehta holds a special place in the history of the Belgrade Philharmonic. In 1958, the then young conductor received one of his first professional opportunities from the orchestra. Since then, Mehta and the Belgrade musicians have developed a close relationship that has now lasted for nearly seven decades. The maestro has returned to the orchestra on numerous occasions, supported the renewal of its instruments and its campaign for a new concert hall, while the Belgrade Philharmonic Foundation bears his name. The orchestra itself describes its relationship with Mehta as a deep and special friendship dating back to that first professional opportunity in 1958.

In 2023, Zubin Mehta conducted the orchestra’s centenary concert, followed by a tour to Tirana and Skopje. In January 2026, the Belgrade Philharmonic was chosen as the first orchestra with which Mehta would begin the worldwide celebrations of his 90th birthday, with two concerts in his native Mumbai. Under his baton, the orchestra shared the stage with Lang Lang and Pinchas Zukerman. Mehta himself has described the Belgrade Philharmonic as one of his favourite orchestras and has spoken of his particularly close bond with its musicians.

On October 28, this orchestra comes to Sofia with a programme that connects the international repertoire with its own musical history.

The soloist in Tchaikovsky’s concerto is Lukáš Vondráček – winner of the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels in 2016 and the first Czech pianist to win the competition’s Grand Prix. Vondráček first appeared on stage at the age of four, made his Carnegie Hall debut at sixteen, and today is a sought-after partner of leading orchestras across Europe and the United States.

Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto needs little introduction, but it never allows for routine. Behind its famous opening, sweeping melodies and spectacular virtuosity lies a score that demands strength and freedom from the soloist, as well as complete understanding with the orchestra. It is precisely in repertoire of this kind that Vondráček’s brilliant technique and natural musical sweep find their strongest expression.

In the second half, the Belgrade Philharmonic will present one of the significant works in the history of Serbian symphonic music – Petar Konjović’s Symphony in C minor.

A composer, conductor, teacher and music writer, Konjović was among the figures who laid the foundations of professional musical life in Serbia in the 20th century. His musical language grew out of late Romanticism while also incorporating influences of modernism and folk music. Performed by the Belgrade Philharmonic, his symphony will be heard not as a historical curiosity, but as a living part of the region’s musical memory.

On the podium will be Uroš Lajovic – a musician who holds a special place in the orchestra’s history. His tenure as Chief Conductor at the beginning of the new century was associated with a decisive transformation in the institution’s artistic work and a new stage in the ensemble’s development. After more than one hundred concerts with the Belgrade Philharmonic, Lajovic was awarded the title of Honorary Conductor in 2023.

Tickets are available at the Bulgaria Hall box office and through Eventim.