Skopje, 20 November 2023 (MIA) — To mark its 80th anniversary, the Philharmonic will perform a concert titled "Inspiration," conducted by Conrad van Alphen from the Netherlands and featuring Dutch-English violinist Daniel Rowland and Serbian cellist Maja Bogdanovic as soloists.

According to the Philharmonic in a press release, the concert program includes the Double Concerto in A minor, Op. 102 for violin, cello and orchestra by Johannes Brahms, and the Symphony No. 2 in E minor, Op. 27 by Sergei Rachmaninoff.

The Macedonian Philharmonic Orchestra was founded on Nov. 24, 1944, after the end of World War II and only 11 days after the liberation of Skopje, the release notes. It adds that the Philharmonic is the only national institution that promotes and performs symphonic music, bringing it closer to audiences of all ages.

Described as a versatile, charismatic and adventurous performer with a wide ranging repertoire, Daniel Rowland has performed in concertos from Beethoven and Brahms to Elgar, Berg, Korngold, Weinberg, Prokoffief and Schnittke; and has worked with leading conductors such as Heinz Holliger, Jaap van Zweden, Francois Xavier Roth, Lawrence Foster, Anthony Hermus, Rossen Milanov and Andrey Boreiko.

In 2005, Rowland founded the Stift International Music Festival in the bucolic region of Twente in the eastern Netherlands, where he grew up. He was born in London, and started his violin lessons in Enschede after his parents moved to Twente in the eastern Netherlands. He teaches at the Royal College of Music in London and lives with Bogdanovic in Amsterdam with their daughter Lily.

Maja Bogdanovic's latest CD release, recorded with Rowland under the title ‘Pas de deux’ (Challenge Records), includes world premiere recordings of works by Penderecki, Vasks, Sollima and Nisinman, and was described as ‘a magical meeting of cello and violin’ by leading Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad. She has released several other CDs for labels Lyrinx and Nimbus including her recital disc ‘Eastern wind’ (Orchid Classics), with pianist Maria Belooussova dedicated to Glière and Rachmaninoff as well as Krzysztof Penderecki’s Second Cello Concerto (DUX).

Born in Belgrade, Bogdanovic began playing the cello at a very early age, studying with Professor Nada Jovanovic in Zemun. She went on to graduate with a First Prize from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, where she completed her postgraduate course with Michel Strauss; while there, she also studied chamber music. Following her studies in Paris, she pursued further training at the Universität der Künste Berlin.

Conrad van Alphen is the founder, artistic director and chief conductor of the Rotterdam Symphony Orchestra. He has led orchestras such as the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Bochumer Symphoniker, Nordwestdeutsche Philharmonie, Berliner Symphoniker, Russian National Orchestra, Svetlanov Symphony Orchestra, Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Brussels Philharmonic, Bogota Philharmonic, Enescu Philharmonic Bucharest, Budapest Symphony Orchestra Mav, Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Symphony Orchestra of the Gran Teatre del Liceu and others.

Van Alphen was born and bred in South Africa. After moving to the Netherlands at the age of 26 he joined the double bass section of the Netherlands Radio Symphony Orchestra and the Beethoven Academie Antwerp while continuing his conducting studies. mr/