One of the most distinguished cellists on the international classical music scene, Torleif Thedéen returns to the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra on Friday, November 21 (Kolarac, 8 p.m.). Under the baton of Chief Guest Conductor Daniel Raiskin, the Belgrade orchestra will be performing a program dedicated to Russian composers of the 20th century – Lyadov, Kabalevsky, and Shostakovich.

Following the spectacular performance by harp soloist Xavier de Maistre, the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra continues to showcase world-class virtuosos. This Friday, the orchestra welcomes Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen, whose illustrious career as a soloist, chamber musician, performer, and tutor has earned him an exceptional international reputation. A winner of first prizes at several prestigious competitions, including the renowned Pablo Casals Competition, Thedéen has been at the forefront of the global music scene for four decades. He has appeared with some of the world’s most prominent orchestras and collaborated with many distinguished conductors, including Esa-Pekka Salonen, Neeme Järvi, Paavo Järvi, and Gennady Rozhdestvensky, among others. After nearly ten years, Thedéen returns to the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra to perform the virtuosic yet somewhat forgotten Kabalevsky Cello Concerto No. 2.

Under the direction of Chief Guest Conductor Daniel Raiskin, the concert program offers a compelling exploration of Russian music of the 20th century. The repertoire opens with Anatoly Lyadov’s Baba Yaga, a musical portrait of the witch who frightens small children (the Russian counterpart to our Slavic bogeyman – Babaroga). In this symphonic miniature, the composer masterfully uses orchestral color to evoke a dark, fantastical, yet ironic and grotesque atmosphere. The concert concludes with Dmitri Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 11, a work that received great acclaim in Russia. This monumental symphony vividly depicts the dramatic events of the 1905 Russian Revolution, interwoven with quotations from folk and revolutionary songs.

Tickets for the Friday night concert are available at the Belgrade Philharmonic Orchestra’s box office as well as online.