The orchestra and its conductor, Nayden Todorov, received a standing ovation in Berlin. Born in Plovdiv in 1974, Todorov, who also served as Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture, has been the music director of the Sofia Philharmonic since 2017. Under his leadership, the orchestra pursues a consistent approach: it creates programs that not only present works but also provide context. Music is understood as a bridge between tradition and the present, as well as between national identity and a shared European future.

Under Todorov’s direction, the London Symphony Orchestra brings breadth, precision and weight to Rachmaninoff’s writing, from the opening movement’s quiet tension to the finale’s cumulative force.

Nayden Todorov once again proved to be an understanding, responsive partner and had “tuned” the orchestra as a maximally reflective instrument.

The accompaniment of the two soloists was very tight, performed by the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra under the precise conducting of Nayden Todorov.
The final Saltarello was played with great verve and energy.

The reading of the conductor and the soloist had somehow captured the minds of all the musicians. With the magnificent unraveling of what the score, respectively the music, requires, with the combination of intuition, logic and experience in its interpretation

The conductor withdrew from the possible temptations offered in the composition and put everything in the service of logic – of the unfolding of musical time, of style, of the arrangement of the orchestra and the balance between its groups. And intensity in sound, to which I think special attention was paid. The symphony sounded in its dramatic entirety, dense, driven, permanently maintaining balance and measure in its development.

Nayden Todorov and the orchestra have convinced me, not for the first time, that they are extremely responsive to every rare musician they partner with. It’s as if they change their auditory reflexes, their aesthetic preferences, and their flexibility is remarkable.

The Baden-Baden Philharmonic breathes with the singers, creates atmosphere and shines with fine woodwind solos. This is also due to Nayden Todorov from Plovdiv, who conducts the evening. Also in the orchestral pieces, the orchestra, under Todorov’s prudent direction, impresses with homogeneity and precision.

The string sound was clean and bright, ensemble was pin-sharp, the timbre of every woodwind instrument was rich, the solos attractively phrased. The sound of the two horns was gorgeous in their many interventions, particularly the hunting calls of the third movement. 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.

Passion and sadness came from the stage, the hall fell silent, managing to understand that it was witnessing a penetrating, intimate soulful conversation. A rare moment felt and realized by both conductor Nayden Todorov and the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra.