Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra Asian Tour

Tokyo, 1 December 2025 – On 2 December, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra returns to Ljubljana after a successful two-week concert tour of Asia, where it performed nine concerts in South Korea and Japan. Under the leadership of Principal Conductor Kakhi Solomnishvili, and in collaboration with four excellent young pianists – Alexander Gadjiev, Tomoya Nakase, Tomoki Sakata and Minsoo Sohn – the orchestra performed at a number of prestigious concert halls, presenting works by Rachmaninoff, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Dvořák and Hosokawa, as well as Slovenian composers Jurij Mihevec and Nina Šenk.

From 16 November to 2 December, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra undertook a tour of Asia, performing three concerts in South Korea and six concerts in Japan. The tour was organised in cooperation with the South Korean agency Vincero and the prestigious Japanese agency Japan Arts. In the company of exceptional soloists, and performing in architecturally inspiring and acoustically perfect halls, the orchestra presented some of the most celebrated works of the European symphonic repertoire, as well as compositions by Slovenian composers. The performances were enthusiastically received by classical music lovers from South Korea and Japan, who filled the auditoriums to capacity.

In South Korea, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra performed at the Daegu Concert House, the Lotte Concert Hall in Seoul and the Aram Nuri Arts Center in Goyang. On these stages, the orchestra was joined by pianist Minsoo Sohn, who regularly tours throughout the world and has been described by the New York Times as “a genuine artist, with a thoughtfully conceived and poetic interpretation”. The tour continued in Japan, where the orchestra had already performed in 2006. On this occasion, the musicians appeared at the Minato Mirai Hall in Yokohama, the Tokyo Metropolitan Theater, the Osaka Symphony Hall and the Musashino Civic Cultural Hall in Tokyo, sharing the stage with one of the most important representatives of modern European pianism, Alexander Gadjiev, as well as with the multi-award-winning pianist Tomoki Sakata, who is the recipient of the first prize and six special prizes at the Franz Liszt International Piano Competition, and the barely nineteen-year-old pianist Tomoya Nakase.

The Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra opened all of the tour concerts with Slovenian music, either with the Overture to the singspiel The Fairy Child by Jurij Mihevc (1805–1882) or the composition Shadows of Stillness by Slovenia’s internationally renowned composer Nina Šenk (1982). With soloists Alexander Gadjiev, Minsoo Sohn and Tomoya Nakase, the orchestra performed the popular Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor, Op. 18 by Sergei Rachmaninoff, and with pianist Tomoki Sakata at the concert on 28 November 2025 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Theatre, it performed both piano concertos by Johannes Brahms. On its Asian tour, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra also presented two key masterpieces of the symphonic repertoire: Symphony No. 1 in C minor, Op. 68 by Johannes Brahms and Symphony No. 5 in E minor, Op. 64 by Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky. As an encore, it performed the Slavonic Dance No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 46, “Polka”, by Antonín Dvořák and the composition Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) by Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa. The performances of the latter were particularly significant, as the composer himself attended several concerts. Among other distinguished guests to the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra’s concerts were the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Seoul, Jernej Müller, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Slovenia in Tokyo, Jurij Rifelj.

After returning from its successful Asian tour, the Slovenian Philharmonic Orchestra will also perform selected works from the tour programme in Ljubljana. On Thursday 11 December and Friday 12 December, again under the leadership of conductor Kakhi Solomnishvili, the orchestra will present the third concert of their Symphonic Masterpieces Series, entitled A Story from the Eastern Side. The programme will feature Sergei Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto, with soloist Alexander Gadjiev, as well as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony.

Tour Programme:

19 November 2025, Daegu Concert House, South Korea