28.05.2023
It was an experience — a genuine musical partnership between the two famous, truly great singers and the Sofia Philharmonic under conductor Nayden Todorov. … The whole orchestra, not only the conductor, was listening to the soloists; they were not merely watching the podium, and the audience registered this immediately. … It was a truly shared musical act! … Two great vocal artists, together with the Philharmonic under the direction of Nayden Todorov, made music in absolute unity.
17.05.2023
This gesture, this suggestion of hers, was immediately picked up by Todorov and the orchestra, which turned the passage from a purely instrumental dialogue into the sharing of something shattering, provoking further similar responses — from the oboes, then from the clarinets as well. … The Philharmonic and Nayden Todorov had done their job, approaching Minkin's new creation entirely seriously.
13.04.2023
The string sound was clean and bright, ensemble was pin-sharp, the timbre of every woodwind instrument was rich, the solos attractively phrased. … Under the attentive baton of Nayden Todorov, not a hair was out of place… Todorov was a purposeful conductor, always precise, always involved, never histrionic… The musicianship, high emotions and attention to text of this performance made it an absolute winner.
17.12.2022
Pristina: with a triumphal edition of La traviata, the Opera of Kosovo was born… conducted by the Bulgarian Nayden Todorov and supported by the Farnesina and the Italian Embassy in Kosovo.
13.11.2022
…here too Nayden Todorov was in his element, balancing this dialogue with great deference toward his famous soloist and naturally preparing the third solo phase of Pogorelich's part, in which the orchestra was once again brought in as a timbral and harmonic support to the soloist's monologue.
23.09.2022
The Philharmonic's director Nayden Todorov announced at the very start of his tenure — and also fulfilled — his ambitious intention to make Bulgaria Hall a place where renowned European musicians would want to perform.
08.09.2022
“The exceptional intellect of the writer Nayden Todorov draws us into the whirl of different epochs… He has carried his feeling for music over into the world of the fantastical, the balladic and the magical.”
17.08.2022
This emotional impulse met with the understanding and support of conductor Nayden Todorov, who found in the Ruse Opera's music library the very score from which Romeo Raichev had conducted 50 years earlier, and in which Shostakovich had additionally made some notes and corrections of his own.
03.07.2022
The conductor was Yoncheva's fellow Bulgarian, Nayden Todorov. With a dynamic conducting style, he drew better playing than expected from the Tokyo City Philharmonic.
26.06.2022
At last the pianist Maria João Pires plays in Bulgaria — under the baton of Nayden Todorov, the chief "culprit" for the encounter with her. … Passion and sadness came from the stage; the hall at last fell silent, having grasped that it was witnessing a penetrating, intimate soulful conversation. A rare moment, felt and realised both by conductor Nayden Todorov and by the orchestra of the Sofia Philharmonic.
02.05.2022
Nayden Todorov had no qualms about underlining the great melodic expansions or the agitated rhythms — his Tregenda was fervently celebrated — confirming the current good standard of the Liceu Symphony. In any case, the listener had heard exactly what they had come to hear. An excellent evening.
30.04.2022
Nayden Todorov conducted with clarity, efficiency and concentration, achieving good results throughout the evening.
07.03.2022
“Yet the book also displays a mastery of its own: in the taut, dynamically told fantastical stories, in the convincing sweep with which the characters’ psychology is built, in a style free of any strain to be ‘peculiar’. And every story is interesting in its own right.”
19.02.2022
Todorov approached the work's sound and ensemble with great care… It was pleasing to note Todorov's attention, concentrated on the logic of the symphonic development… Nayden Todorov built the individual segments in carefully measured doses, with a precise ceiling on sonic tension. … An inspired gesture, but also an intelligent and substantive reading of this, the most popular and significant composition by Paul Hindemith for 20th-century music!
01.2022
Sonya Yoncheva was accompanied by the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra conducted by the expressive Bulgarian conductor Nayden Todorov. The musicians played with enthusiasm and passion, getting involved in the imaginative environment of opera arias and symphonic fragments of the evening.
22.12.2021
“‘A Breath of Angels’ is a romantic and optimistic book that sets the imagination loose and unlocks dreams and the wish to do good. With it, Maestro Nayden Todorov goes on writing his music by the means of another art.”
08.12.2021
“…fantastical stories that imitate no one's familiar hand, but bring together music, the scent of the occult and compelling storytelling… Undoubtedly, besides an exuberant imagination and a taste for the mystical, there is music in the conductor's prose — music that carries you along and casts a spell.”
12.2021
Maestro Nayden Todorov sensed the nuances subtly. The Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra was his faithful helper in this task.
30.09.2021
…the Sofia Philharmonic under Nayden Todorov's baton… partnered violinist Mincho Minchev, who performed the Brahms concerto — an event that turned into an absolute festival highlight. … I would also draw attention to Nayden Todorov's careful approach in accompanying the violinist — he created the necessary sonic atmosphere, and the orchestra responded willingly, reacting with respect to his tonal suggestions.
13.09.2021
Most of the programme — the three excerpts from Prokofiev's 'Romeo and Juliet' and Stravinsky's 'Firebird' Suite — had been rehearsed by Nayden Todorov. He worked with the orchestra even while everyone waited for the great star — up to two hours before the concert began.
26.04.2021
Both concerts were with the Sofia Philharmonic, under conductors Nayden Todorov — who, in his capacity as director of the orchestra, succeeded in bringing [Kremer] to Sofia — and Uroš Lajovic. … Nayden Todorov opted for the more active tempo. The exposition of the first movement sounded more articulate and limpid in its repeat, gaining precise focus in the stroke and the shape of the phrase.
17.04.2021
Nayden Todorov's flexibility in this respect is remarkable — in recent seasons, as director of the Philharmonic, he has managed to create the sense that the Sofia Philharmonic is a genuine destination for artists who are today on the world's musical map.
16.02.2021
The latest masterpiece concert of the Sofia Philharmonic's season created a cathartic experience for the audience at Hall 'Bulgaria.' And this time, it was owed not only to the boundless artistry of violinist Maxim Vengerov, but also to all the musicians of the orchestra, as well as to conductor Nayden Todorov. It was a message powerful in its humanity, one that seized the audience with authority… Very rarely in recent years has this hall fallen so silent that not even the breathing of those present could be heard. … What a frenzied devotion to his music came from the stage. Every sound, every line stood out in the overall message. Articulated, crafted, guided, united by thought in Todorov's reading.
17.01.2021
What the recipe of Philharmonic director Nayden Todorov might be, I naturally have no idea, but it evidently works successfully — and not just once. No arguments are needed; it is enough to look at the rest of the season, which shines with world-renowned performers.
2021
Nayden Todorov has demonstrated strong leadership as music director of the Sofia Philharmonic. In autumn 2021 I conducted this orchestra and was impressed with the artistic level of the musicians, which Maestro Todorov prepared. I have known Maestro Todorov for many years and look forward to collaborating with him further. Recently Nayden Todorov appeared at the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall as conductor of the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra, which testifies to his renown as an international performer. — Valery Gergiev