Brahms under the baton of maestro Emil Tabakov at Bulgaria Hall

Under the baton of Maestro Emil Tabakov, two of Brahms's supreme works will be performed – the Double Concerto for Violin and Cello and the monumental Symphony No. 1.

The soloists in the Double Concerto are South Korean violinist Edwin Eung Soo Kim and Venezuelan cellist Gregorio Nieto. The two artists, shaped by different musical traditions, meet for the first time on the stage of Bulgaria Hall.

Edwin Eung Soo Kim is a graduate of leading music institutions in Seoul, Vienna, and Graz. His international career has taken him to stages across Europe, Asia, and America, and his interpretations combine technical precision, vivid temperament, and a particular sensitivity to the Romantic repertoire.

Gregorio Nieto began his musical journey in Venezuela's El Sistema music education program and is a student of its founder, José Antonio Abreu. His career has spanned various orchestras and stages across Latin America and Europe, and an important part of his artistic mission is presenting Latin American repertoire to international audiences.

Brahms composed the Double Concerto in 1887 as a gesture of reconciliation toward his longtime friend, the great violinist Joseph Joachim. It is the composer's final orchestral work – one in which the violin and cello move from tense dialogue toward accord.

In the second part of the evening, the Sofia Philharmonic will perform Brahms's First Symphony. The composer worked on it for more than fourteen years, tormented by comparisons to Beethoven and by the sense that he had to carry forward an almost unreachable symphonic tradition. Its 1876 premiere established Brahms as one of the great symphonists of the 19th century.

Taking the podium is Maestro Emil Tabakov – one of the most authoritative figures in Bulgarian musical life. A conductor, composer, and double bassist, he has led the Sofia Philharmonic, the Symphony Orchestra of Bulgarian National Radio, the Belgrade Philharmonic, and the Bilkent Symphony Orchestra. He has appeared on leading stages across Europe, Asia, North and South America, and has conducted the National Orchestra of France, the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France, the Seoul Philharmonic, and the Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio. His connection to Brahms's music is especially significant. Maestro Tabakov has recorded his symphonies, overtures, and the "German Requiem," making this repertoire one of the important threads in his conducting career.

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