Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Sonya Yoncheva Send Message “Don’t Forget Us” at Close of Sofia Gala’s Second Night

Dahnyelle Dymytrov

A snapshot of the second evening of the Gala in Sofia in front of Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, August 29, 2025 (BTA Photo/Blagoy Kirilov)

Sofia,

30.08.2025 11:30

(BTA)

The second evening of the Gala in Sofia ended with an emotional message from Jose Carreras, Placido Domingo, and Sonya Yoncheva: “Don’t forget us”. The three artists brought their joint concert to a close with Non ti scordar di me (Don’t Forget Me) by Neapolitan composer Ernesto de Curtis (1875–1937). Domingo, however, gave the piece a personal twist by altering the lyrics and singing Non ti scordar di noi (Don’t Forget Us).

On the evening of August 29, the stage in front of Sofia’s St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral resounded with music performed by the Sofia Philharmonic under the baton of maestro Nayden Todorov. The programme featured works in Italian, English, French, and German by Puccini, Verdi, Bizet, Dvorak, Francesco Cilea, Umberto Giordano, Erik Satie, and Rafael Martinez. After the intermission, the repertoire continued with pieces by Stanislao Gastaldon, Pablo Sorozabal, Georges Bizet, Nicola Valente, Franz Lehar, Leonard Bernstein, Mitch Leigh, Henry Mancini, Juan de Dios Filiberto, and Quirino Mendoza y Cortes.

At the end of the event, Sonya Yoncheva thanked all her partners, including BTA, and shared that she had received flower baskets from Bulgarian President Rumen Radev, Culture Minister Marian Bachev, and Sofia Mayor Vassil Terziev. “As you know, I believe that culture is the future. I believe you share that conviction with me,” Yoncheva told the audience. She went on: “Thank you, dear and wonderful audience, for being with us, for sharing this evening with us, for the tears in your eyes, and for your applause.” She then invited everyone to the next edition of the festival - Gala in Sofia 2026.

/KK/