Music is a language that unites peoples. And it leads us, humanity, to new shores, paths, and journeys every time. Discover. Your Path. is the motto of the Western Balkans Youth Orchestra project in 2025.

 

But it requires considerable effort from all sides for the young musicians to make music together and thus spread their message to the world with full force. The WBYO and its director, Desar Sulejmani, a German pianist and conductor with Albanian roots, focus on colorful programs that always integrate the music of their homelands – as can be experienced this summer in all countries of the Western Balkans.

 

The concert program takes the audience on a musical journey of discovery through various eras and styles, beginning with the timeless sounds of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and his opera The Magic Flute. Afterwards, the audience will immerse themselves in the passionate world of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, whose music is full of energy, expressiveness, and passion. The first part of the concert will conclude with the famous Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Dalila by another French composer, Camille Saint-Saëns, whose works often offer a fascinating blend of virtuosity, exotic melodies, and powerful rhythms. The program will also introduce us to the captivating sounds of Nikolai Rimski-Korsakow, an important Russian composer who impresses with his profound and emotional compositions. This will be followed by the music of Paul Dukas, which captivates with its expressiveness and originality, as well as the colorful and lively works of the Mexican composer José Pablo Moncayo, which conclude the program on a cheerful and dance-like note. This program invites us all to follow our own musical path and embark on a breathtaking journey of discovery, experiencing the diversity and beauty of orchestral literature.

 

Program

 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) 

Overture of the opera The Magic Flute 

 

Georges Bizet (1838 – 1875) 

Symphonic movements of the opera Carmen 

 

Camille Saint-Saëns (1835 – 1921) 

Bacchanale from the opera Samson et Dalila  

 

PAUSE 

 

Nikolai Andreevich Rimski-Korsakov (1844 – 1908) 

Cappricio Espagnol Op. 34 

 

Paul Dukas (1865 – 1904) 

L’Apprenti Sorcier - The Sorcerer's Apprentice 

 

José Pablo Moncayo Garcia (1912 – 1958) 

Huapango 

 

 

Western Balkans Youth Orchestra 

 

Desar Sulejmani, Conductor