The pianist Nikolay Dimitrov represents Bulgaria in the Youth Orchestra of the European Union, where he is the only Bulgarian among all 110 musicians. He was chosen to participate in after a tough pre-selection and is already preparing in Austria with his colleagues for the orchestra’s European summer tour, starting on July 29.
The interesting experience that Nikolay Dimitrov will gather with the best young performers from all EU countries is related to both piano and organ playing. He will make his debut as an organist for the first time, and this will happen in the work of Richard Strauss ” Also sprach Zarathustra”. Additionally, there will be two chamber music concerts where he will partner with six different violinists in the work of the French composer Pauline García-Viardot “6 morceaux for violin and piano”.
Most exciting, however, is the main programme, where the orchestra works under the batton of one of the biggest names – Sir Antonio Pappano. Recognized for his charismatic leadership and inspiring performances in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Sir Antonio Pappano has been Music Director of the Royal Opera House „Covent Garden“-London since 2002, and Music Director of the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome since 2005. In 2023, he was appointed Principal Conductor of the London Symphony Orchestra, taking over the duties from 2024.
The four concerts in which Nikolay Dimitrov will participate together with the orchestra will take place in Austria, the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. The program includes Beethoven’s Concerto for violin and orchestra in D major, where the famous German violinist Julia Fischer will be the soloist, and “Also sprach Zarathustra” by Strauss. The first concert is on July 29 as a part of the Grafenegg Music Festival. Before the main event, there will also be a chamber music concert with the participation of Nikolay Dimitrov.
The second concert is on August 2 at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, and the third – on August 3 at the Rheingau Festival in Wiesbaden. The last concert of this program will take place on August 6 in Bolzano as part of the Bolzano Festival Bozen festival. On August 7, the second program of chamber music will be presented again in Bolzano, in which the pianist will play.