The musical heritage of East and West has intertwined through centuries of history, and this concert offers a compelling example of that fusion. Inspired by the Exposition Universelle in Paris, Camille Saint-Saëns created a unique synthesis of Western and Eastern influences.

While the music from the ballet Gayane by Armenian composer Aram Khachaturian has long ago found a place in the Western concert repertoire, the work of his contemporary, Azerbaijani author Kara Karayev, remains a true rarity on today’s concert repertoires.

The Belgrade Philharmonic’s very own percussionist duo, Aleksandar Radulović and Ivan Marjanović, appear as soloists in a piece by contemporary French composer Emmanuel Séjourné, blending classical and popular music idioms.