Journal ·
Gardens of Spain: Falla, Rodrigo and a Birthday in Bulgaria Hall
On 23 November, Manuel de Falla’s birthday, Camerata Bulgarica closes the first Gardens of Spain festival with two of the best-loved Spanish scores of the twentieth century.
We are delighted to announce that Camerata Bulgarica will perform at the Gardens of Spain gala concert — the evening that closes the first edition of the Gardens of Spain festival. It takes place on Monday 23 November 2026 at 19:00, at Bulgaria Hall in Sofia.
Two soloists join us: pianist Veneta Neynska and guitarist Georgi Dimitrov-Jojo. On the podium is the Spanish conductor Pablo Urbina. In September, at Homecoming, our musicians played without a conductor; this time the ensemble meets a guest conductor and two concerto soloists on the same stage.
Two gardens
At the heart of the evening stand two works that have travelled far beyond Spain. Manuel de Falla’s Noches en los jardines de España — Nights in the Gardens of Spain — is music of evening light and scent: its three movements carry the names of the Generalife, the gardens above the Alhambra in Granada; of a distant dance; and of the gardens of the Sierra de Córdoba. Piano and orchestra build the landscape together, the soloist woven into the colour rather than set against it.
Joaquín Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez takes its name from the royal gardens of Aranjuez, south of Madrid. Here the guitar steps forward as a solo voice — and its slow movement, the Adagio, is one of the most recognised melodies of the century.
One night, two faces of Spain: the mystery of the night gardens and the sunlit voice of the guitar.
An anniversary on the night
The date is not a coincidence. 2026 marks 150 years since Falla’s birth and 125 years since Rodrigo’s, and 23 November is Falla’s birthday. The festival finale becomes a musical celebration in honour of one of the most important Spanish composers.
Spain, near and far
Around the two concertos, the programme looks at Spain from inside and from across the Pyrenees. It opens with Ruperto Chapí’s overture to El tambor de granaderos, from the world of the Spanish zarzuela. Emmanuel Chabrier’s España and a selection from Georges Bizet’s Carmen show the Spain that French composers heard — vivid, rhythmic, theatrical — and bring the evening to its close.
Tickets
Tickets are on sale at Eventim. The full programme is on the concert page, and the players of Camerata Bulgarica are introduced on the musicians page.
The gala is presented with the exclusive support of the Embassy of the Kingdom of Spain in Bulgaria; the InterContinental Sofia is the festival’s official accommodation partner and the Bulgarian-Spanish Chamber of Commerce its communication partner. We look forward to seeing you in the hall.