One of the finest interpreters of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s music, pianist Alexey Botvinov, gave an outstanding concert last night alongside his colleagues, violinist Sebastian Bohren and cellist Patrick Demenga. The carefully selected repertoire for the Ohrid summer night included Mozart’s “Violin and Piano Sonata in E minor K.304,” followed by Brahms’ “Cello and Piano Sonata No. 1 in E minor Op. 38,” and concluded with Shostakovich’s “Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor Op. 67.”
The concert was organized as part of the Swiss Evening at the “Ohrid Summer” festival and was supported by the Embassy of Switzerland in the country.
This year is particularly important for Switzerland and Macedonia, as the two countries mark three decades of diplomatic relations. As highlighted by the Deputy Ambassador and Chargé d’Affaires of the Swiss Embassy, Michal Harari, the two nations are connected through their beautiful landscapes, multilingualism, multiculturalism, and the bonds between their people.
“In nurturing the relations between our two countries, we recognize that culture plays a crucial role in building mutual understanding and respect. It is through cultural exchanges that we can build bridges, deepen our relationships, and celebrate and practice shared values. Switzerland not only proudly presents its cultural treasures here in North Macedonia, together with cultural institutions like ‘Ohrid Summer,’ but also supports the independent cultural scene in the country. This support will continue in the future to celebrate and deepen the relations between our countries,” said Deputy Ambassador and Chargé d’Affaires Harari.
The Director of the “Ohrid Summer” National Institution, Natasha Popović, expressed immense gratitude to the embassies in the country for their generous support in developing culture, as they were part of the festival this summer, bringing the best artists from their countries.
“I hope and believe that our cooperation will continue in the coming years, and together we will build the rich cultural tradition of ‘Ohrid Summer.’ I express my sincere and immense gratitude for the support provided by the embassies. This gives us even greater motivation to nurture the arts and build the path toward greater cultural development. With such support, we succeeded in creating an elevated festival edition this year, an edition that will remain in the festival’s history as a successful story worthy of the most significant music and stage event, the ‘Ohrid Summer’ festival,” said Director Popović.
The classical music repertoire of this year’s 64th “Ohrid Summer” continues tonight at 9:00 PM in the Church of St. Sophia with a concert by Chinese soprano Wanje Zhang and Serbian pianist Dejan Sinadinović.
