Skopje, 3 February 2025 (MIA) — The Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra will give a concert of Macedonian and European classical music at the Musikverein Hall in Vienna — world-famous for the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra's New Year's Concert — on Oct. 28.

According to the Philharmonic in a press release, the orchestra's Vienna concert will mark the 80th anniversary of the Philharmonic and 30 years of diplomatic relations between Austria and North Macedonia.

The concert program will consist of "Macedonian Paraphrase No. 2" by Bete Ilin, "The Hard One" by Gligor Smokvarski, five traditional Macedonian songs in orchestral arrangements by Soni Petrovski and "The Symphony No. 8 in G major, Op. 88, B. 163" by Antonín Dvořák.

The Philharmonic will be conducted by Yeruham Scharovsky of Israel. The concert will feature Ana and Igor Durlovski as soloists.

"The Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra, at its Musikverein performance, will present the Macedonian tradition to the international audience and will contribute to improving the country's image and connection with the world's cultural and art centers," the release said.

According to the Philharmonic, the Vienna concert will be a landmark moment for Macedonian culture, "proving that our country has valuable artistic potential that will open new perspectives for Macedonian music on the international stage."

"There is no better way to end the year during which our institution has celebrated its 80th anniversary than by performing in this world-class music temple, which is one of the world's most prestigious music venues," said Aleksandar Kotevski, acting director of the Philharmonic.

Famous for its acoustics, the Vienna Musikverein is considered to be one of the three finest concert halls in the world, along with Boston’s Symphony Hall and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

The Musiverein was designed by Danish architect Theophil Hansen and opened its doors in 1870. It is home to the Vienna Philharmonic, which gives its traditional New Year’s Concert on Jan. 1 every year at the Musikverein's Golden Hall.

"The Musikverein is not only a symbol of Vienna and its rich musical heritage, but also a center of the world's classical music culture," the Philharmonic release said, pointing out that leading conductors including Herbert von Karajan, Leonard Bernstein, Claudio Abbado, and Arthur Rubinstein had performed there.

"Also composers, such as Johannes Brahms, Anton Bruckner, Gustav Mahler and Richard Strauss, who conducted the first performances of many of their musical masterpieces on this very stage," the release said.

The concert of the Macedonian Philharmonic at the Musikverein will be made possible with support from the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. mr/