Bulgaria’s Allegra Festival’s second winter edition: The Romantic Project

After 11 highly successful summer editions that firmly established the Allegra Festival’s artistic excellence, its first winter edition in February 2025 became yet another resounding success.

The Romantic Project — the festival’s second winter edition, taking place from February 8 to 11 2026 at the Central Military Club — will offer four remarkable concert evenings, crafted with artistic precision and a clearly defined concept by Allegra’s founder, Petar Naydenov.

Petar Naydenov

With his refined musical selection, he once again highlights artists making their debut in Bulgaria — virtuosi who have already captivated audiences and critics at some of the world’s most prestigious competitions.

Within The Romantic Project, the stage will bring together soloists and chamber musicians decorated with distinguished international awards.

Among them are violinist Dmytro Udovychenko, winner of the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition; pianist Emanuil Ivanov, laureate of the Ferruccio Busoni Competition; violinist Valeriy Sokolov, Grand Prix winner of the George Enescu Competition; violinist Lora Markova, first prize winner at the Tibor Varga Junior Competition in Switzerland; violist Paul Zientara, recipient of the Safran Foundation for Music Prize; and cellist Barna Károly, winner of the David Popper International Cello Competition.

Special Guest: Dmytro Udovychenko, violin

This year’s spotlight falls on Ukrainian violinist Dmytro Udovychenko — laureate of international competitions in Montreal, the Jean Sibelius Competition, the Joseph Joachim Competition and Singapore.

Dmytro Udovychenko

With his 2024 first prize at the Queen Elisabeth Violin Competition, Udovychenko ascends to the summit of the world’s violin elite, standing alongside legendary names such as David Oistrakh, Leonid Kogan and Vadim Repin.

He continues a tradition that began with Brahms’s revered violinist Joseph Joachim, passed through Auer and Yankelevich, and reached his own mentor — the legendary Boris Garlitsky. This lineage has produced many of the brightest figures in violin history, among them Jascha Heifetz, Nathan Milstein and Vladimir Spivakov.

Festival audiences will have the opportunity to enjoy his talent on February 10 and 11, while the music of Felix Mendelssohn serves as the delicate thread weaving together all four evenings.

Concert Programme

February 8 – “Lights and Shadows”

The opening evening presents an inspiring dialogue between two masters.
Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 3 radiates transparency and elegance, while Brahms’s Piano Quartet No. 1 unfolds a sweeping romantic drama crowned with the fiery Rondo alla Zingarese. Together they create a vivid musical landscape — a meeting of light and fervour, grace and expressive power.
Performed by Emanuil Ivanov, Valeriy Sokolov, Lora Markova, Paul Zientara and Barna Károly.

February 9 – “Ecstasy at the Edge of the Abyss”

A programme that moves through the passion of tango and the expressive worlds of Weill, Bloch, Eisler, Ravel and Kapustin. Arranged for cello and piano, each piece becomes a miniature of dramatic depth and virtuoso brilliance — a hallmark of the Runge & Ammon Duo, long favourites of Allegra audiences.

February 10 – “Dawn’s Radiance”

The traditional festive evening of the Allegra Festival brings all performers together on one stage. They will present a programme centred around Mendelssohn’s Sextet in D Major, Op. 110 — a work that bears all the hallmarks of his early genius: vitality, freshness and sincere emotionality.
Audiences will also experience the world premiere of a Piano Quintet by Emanuil Ivanov — a work initiated by Petar Naydenov. As Naydenov shares, the idea emerged spontaneously during their joint performance at last year’s festival edition, The Beethoven Project.

February 11 – “A Bridge Between Centuries”

The closing night features two masterpieces of the Romantic era: Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto in E Minor and Brahms’s Symphony No. 4. Dmytro Udovychenko appears as soloist, accompanied by the Allegra Festival Orchestra under the baton of Johannes Schlaefli.

Full details on the programme and performers, as well as ticket information, are available at the festival website: https://allegrafestival.com/bg/concerts/2026-winter/. Friends of Allegra can enjoy reduced-price festival passes and individual tickets using the code ALLWIN26, valid until November 30 2025.

The Allegra Festival is held under the patronage of the Embassy of Switzerland and is supported by the National Culture Fund.

The Sofia Globe is a media partner of the Allegra Festival