Skopje, 30 October 2025 (MIA) — The culmination of perfection, a magical night during which the Philharmonic wrote a new page on Macedonian culture in Macedonian history, the orchestra's principal viola Marko Videnovikj said after the orchestra's recent concert of Macedonian and European classical music at the Vienna Musikverein's Golden Hall.

Videnovikj, who is also a poet and a composer and a member of the Philharmonic for over 20 years, shared his impressions on social media.

"Some seventy people arrive in Vienna. Somewhat tired from the journey, but much more excited about what they have to do at the highest level," he wrote in a Facebook post.

He compared the orchestra members' feelings ahead of the concert with the excitement of the Macedonian football team recently playing a good game against Belgium in the European Qualifiers.

"Next thing, we go on stage," Videnovikj wrote, "and it is packed, maybe a hundred empty seats out of its capacity of nearly two thousand. I am good with words, God gave me this gift — at least that's what many people tell me — and maybe this is a little immodest on my part, but still: I can't describe this feeling in words." 

"Trembling, goosebumps, responsibility, nerves, every muscle shaking... A quick glance around the audience and you see a bunch of familiar people from Macedonia, our colleagues, friends, supporters who traveled at their own expense just to be with us and support us, with this energy in their eyes giving you the strength to fly," he wrote.

"After the first note is played, the magic begins," he continued. "To make it even more magical, Ana and Igor Durlovski come out on stage. I have no words to describe this. Tears on the stage, tears in the audience, the culmination of perfection. 

"In the end, we, the artists of the Macedonian Philharmonic, are alone again, creating another kind of magic. The applause lasts almost five or six minutes, maybe more. Encore, of course, and almost two thousand happy people. To make one person happy is a huge success, so imagine achieving that with almost two thousand. An indescribable feeling," Videnovikj wrote.

"I could write for two days, but this is already too long so I just want to say we wrote a new page in Macedonian history, for Macedonian culture," he said, adding that he was sorry the Philharmonic hall in Skopje was "not always filled to the last seat."

"But that is not our fault," he wrote. "It is the entire system's problem. Despite it all, our audience is sincere and is the wind at our back. Next week we start our regular concerts this Viennese audience would not miss, so why should the Macedonian audience miss out?"

In his Facebook post, Videnovikj also compared the Philharmonic to "a big family in which, like in any other, there are problems and obstacles, but when there is a will, there is a way to solve anything."

"From the musicians, through the stage workers, the music library, the administration, the managers and even the janitors, everyone is part of this historic success. Long live the Macedonian Philharmonic and let this be the worst that can happen to us," he wrote.

The orchestra's Vienna Musikverein concert marked the 80th anniversary of the Philharmonic and 30 years of diplomatic relations between Austria and North Macedonia. It was conducted by Yeruham Scharovsky of Israel and featured Ana and Igor Durlovski as soloists. They performed traditional Macedonian folk songs including „Калеш Анѓо“ ("Kalesh Angjo") and „Дејгиди, луди млади години“ ("Oh, Those Crazy Years of My Youth") arranged by Soni Petrovski.

The concert program consisted 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. For the encore, the orchestra performed "The Hard One" again, which was met with standing ovations and thunderous applause.

Famous for its acoustics, the Vienna Musikverein is considered to be one of the finest concert halls in the world. It 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 Macedonian Philharmonic concert at the Musikverein was supported by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. mr/