Continuity in the development of compositional mastery in the art of music is an extremely constructive quality in the overall flow of the traditions of Western European musical culture. The works of Sergei Rachmaninoff and Béla Bartók, which make up the main part of the concert programme of the Rousse Opera Orchestra, are a vivid illustration of this continuity. They are also indicative of the transition from the style of Romanticism to the stylistics of the New Age, which will introduce the audience to the currents of Modernism at a rapid pace. As can be argued for both Rachmaninov and Bartók, and for many composers of different nationalities and generations, including the musical artists of Bulgaria, even today the work of both can be seen as a modern stylistic exemplar in twentieth-century music, in which national folk traditions are reinterpreted with originality, taste and moderation. The concert is part of the festival series "Winter Music Evenings".