World Premiere of ‘The Secret’: Heidelberg Philharmonic conducted by the composer

Heidelberg Philharmonic and Martin Georgiev at the World Premiere of ‘The Secret’. Photo by Robert Schweizer

20.02.2013. The World Premiere of Martin Georgiev’s major orchestral work The Secret / Тайната was given by the Heidelberg Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by the composer at Kongresshaus Stadthalle Heidelberg, alongside works by Rodrigo and Respighi, in a Southern-European concert programme that featured the distinguished soloist Göran Söllscher in Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez.

More about the concert at the website of the Orchestra

The world premiere of The Secret was the highest point of Georgiev’s tenure as Komponist für Heidelberg 2012|13 –  Composer in Residence to the City of Heidelberg. The Secret was commissioned by Orchester und Theater Heidelberg and the General Music Director of the City of Heidelberg, Yordan Kamdzhalov.

Göran Söllscher, Heidelberg Philharmonic and Martin Georgiev

Martin Georgiev: “The subject matter of The Secret is to remain a secret for the time being, but you can find below a couple of images that contemplate what it might relate to, which are intermixed with a few audio excerpts from the premiere, which you can hear. Although I’m saying ‘it might relate to’, the truth is that the secret in question is beyond comprehension in a particular way (but that doesn’t mean that it is beyond contemplation). Furthermore, The Secret is intended to be followed by two sequels: The Secret II and The Secret III, with which it would form a Symphonic Triptych (although all three works would be also standalone separate pieces, as The Secret is itself). If some day I succeed in completing the Triptych (which would involve two more commissions, or loads of my holiday time… :), and if the first performance of it as a Triptych is in my lifetime, I might reveal three aspects of the secret through subtitles to the three parts of the Triptych in its first complete performance. But until/unless that happens, I would leave it entirely to listeners’ imagination, and here follows just a contemplation in images, with a few sound excerpts from the piece, which are from a pre-concert talk before the première. (I should perhaps just mention that the title is unrelated to other literary and dramatic works with similar titles…)”