Subscription Concerts 2023-2024Program B
No. 2003 Subscription (Program B)

Born in Vladikavkaz in North Ossetia of the former Soviet Union in 1977, Tugan Sokhiev studied conducting under the legendary tutors Ilya Musin and then Yuri Temirkanov at the St. Petersburg Conservatory. Since 2008, as Music Director of the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, he has contributed to the development of the orchestra, at the same time, served as Principal Conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin from 2012 to 2016. Furthermore, from 2014, he served as Music Director of the Bolshoi Theatre in Moscow, while making guest appearances with prestigious orchestras and at opera houses, including the Wiener Philharmoniker, the Berliner Philharmoniker and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, thus has actively worked internationally in concerts and operas. In 2022, grieved by the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, his beloved homeland, he resigned from his posts at both the Bolshoi Theatre and the Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, however, even after that he has continued to be in full demand from all over the world. He has been highly evaluated for his accurate sense of style and rich interpretations such as the dynamic scale he introduces to perform Russian works, the sophisticated sense he employs to French repertoire and his full expression in an orthodox approach towards German works. He has returned to the NHK Symphony Orchestra almost every year to present delightful performances. On this visit, he will surely demonstrate his diversity in expression through three programs of French, German and Russian works.

[Motoyuki Teranishi, music critic]

Sunao Goko, born in 1993, is one of the young generation violinists who gather most attention, and has won 1st prize in the 11th Yehudi Menuhin International Competition for Young Violinists (the youngest winner in the competition's history) in 2006. Since his debut in December 2007, he has worked with leading Japanese orchestras such as the Yomiuri Nippon Symphony Orchestra, the New Japan Philharmonic, and the Osaka Philharmonic, under the batons of such conductors as Gerhard Bosse, Kazuyoshi Akiyama, and Michiyoshi Inoue. He has also been invited by music festivals, including Saito Kinen Orchestra (presently called Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival) and the Spring Festival in Tokyo on a regular basis. In 2013, he won the Tibor Varga International Violin Competition, as well as the Audience Award and Contemporary Music Award. After having served as the assistant concert master of the NHK Symphony Orchestra, he has been Guest Concert Master since April 2023. He plays the 1682 ‘Banat’ Stradivarius.

After graduating from Toho Gakuen School of Music, he received a Japanese government scholarship on the Cultural Affairs Agency’s program of Overseas Study for Upcoming Artists and went to Italy to study in Florence. He won 1st Prize at the International Competition for Chamber Music Ensembles “Premio Trio di Trieste,” received a gold medal by Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the president of Italy at the time, and was offered opportunities to appear in about 50 concerts across Italy as well as in European cities. He was the winner of the 2008 International Chamber Music Competition “Premio Vittorio Gui” in Florence. He then moved to Germany from Italy to assume the post of Solo Violist of the WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln while appearing with the Gewandhausorchester Leipzig, the Symphonieorchester des Bayerischen Rundfunks, and the Bamberger Symphoniker as Chief Guest Violist, as well as in music festivals and chamber music concerts as a soloist and chamber musician. He has been Principal Viola of the NHK Symphony Orchestra since October 2021.