Mario Hossen – violin soloist and conductor

Mario Hossen holding his violin, studio portrait

Mario Hossen is an Austro-Bulgarian soloist of international acclaim. He has performed with more than 100 orchestras worldwide, including the London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, Vienna Symphony Orchestra, Bruckner Orchestra Linz, Orchestra Wiener Akademie, Vienna Chamber Orchestra, Wiener Concert-Verein, Sinfonia Varsovia, Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra, Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, I Solisti Veneti, Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, RTV Slovenia Symphony Orchestra, I Virtuosi del Teatro alla Scala, Chamber Orchestra of the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Franz Liszt Chamber Orchestra, Helsinki Baroque Orchestra, Orquesta Sinfónica del Estado de México, Presidential Symphony Orchestra of Turkey, Istanbul State Symphony Orchestra, and Polish Baltic Philharmonic Fryderyk Chopin.

Renowned for his extraordinary virtuosity and magnetic stage presence, his repertoire spans from Renaissance and Classical traditions to contemporary music and Jazz/Tango.

Hossen was born in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. His mother, Nelly Batchvarova, was an opera singer, while his father was a lawyer. His heritage reflects a blend of four nationalities. He has been based in Vienna since 1991, and in 1995 he was granted Austrian citizenship in recognition of his special contributions to the Republic. He received his musical education in Sofia, Vienna, and Paris. He began playing the piano at the age of five and started his violin studies a year later in Plovdiv with his first teacher, Atanas Batchvarov. His subsequent mentors include Darina Dankova, Michael Frischenschlager, and Gérard Poulet. He made his debut as a soloist with orchestra at the age of eight. Since then, he has performed in concert halls across more than 40 countries worldwide.

Mario Hossen is the recipient of numerous prestigious awards, including the City of Sofia’s “Musician of the Year” distinction. Under his artistic direction, the Varna Summer International Music Festival – the oldest music festival in Bulgaria – was recognized by the European Festivals Association as an EFFE Laureate for the 2019–2020 season and received the European Audience Award. Internationally acclaimed as a leading violin pedagogue, he serves as Professor at New Bulgarian University and was formerly a faculty member of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía. His students have earned top prizes at major international competitions, including the David Oistrakh Competition, Tibor Varga Competition, Kocian Violin Competition, and Maria Canals International Music Competition. Many have gone on to successful careers as concertmasters, orchestral musicians, and soloists across Europe and Asia.

He approaches each work with exceptional depth, placing strong emphasis on historical context and the highest standards of stylistic authenticity. His musicological and artistic work is particularly devoted to source research on Niccolò Paganini, whose oeuvre occupies a central place in his career. He is widely regarded as one of the leading interpreters and authorities on Paganini’s music. The complete works of Paganini for solo violin and for violin and orchestra have been published as a historical-critical edition under his direction by Doblinger in the “Diletto Musicale” series (Vienna).

Mario Hossen has released 26 CD albums for the Italian labels Dynamic and Da Vinci Classics, as well as Hänssler Classic and Doron Music. His extensive discography includes the complete violin concertos of Niccolò Paganini, Max Bruch, Felix Mendelssohn, and Johannes Brahms, as well as the complete 15 string quartets with guitar by Paganini. It further features the complete violin sonatas of Ludwig van Beethoven, alongside works by Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. His recordings also include numerous world premiere releases of previously unpublished works by Niccolò Paganini, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Giuseppe Tartini, Alessandro Rolla, and Saverio Mercadante. Among the composers who have dedicated works to him are Rainer Bischof, Gheorghi Arnaoudov, Tomás Marco, François-Pierre Descamps, Periklis Liakakis, Roumen Dimitrov, Alessandro Solbiati, and Walter Baer.

As a conducting soloist, he leads the Vienna Chamber Orchestra and Les Orphesites Orchestra in the concert series “Concert Spirituel” in Vienna.

Mario Hossen has also been invited to be a Jury member at important international violin competitions, including the “Jascha Heifetz” Violin Competition (Vilnius), the “Fritz Kreisler” Violin Competition (Vienna), the “Ginette Neveu” Violin Competition (Avignon), the “Tibor Varga” Violin Competition (Sion), “Alfred Binner” Violin Competition, and other competitions in Tokyo, Sofia and Vienna.

He has been an artist of Thomastik-Infeld since 2008 and performs exclusively on his preferred strings by the company.

In 2019, Mario Hossen initiated a project to record the complete string quartets and chamber music works of Niccolò Paganini. In this context, he founded the Paganini Ensemble Vienna, an ensemble dedicated to Paganini’s chamber music. In 2024, the Ensemble was appointed Ambassador of the European Paganini Route, an EU cultural initiative of the City of Genoa. He is also an Honorary Member of the „Amici di Paganini“ in Genoa, in recognition of his outstanding contributions to preserving and promoting Paganini’s musical legacy.

Mario Hossen performs on a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1749), kindly loaned to him by the Austrian National Bank.

Project PAGANINI in VIENNA

BLOG by Mario Hossen and Stefano Baldi – “Paganini in Vienna”

Thomastik Infeld Blog by Mario Hossen

Hidden Method of Paganini

Repertoire

CONCERTS & WORKS WITH ORCHESTRA

NICCOLO PAGANINI

Violin Concerto No.1 In E flat Major, Op.6, M.S. 21
Violin Concerto No.2 In B Minor, Op.7, M.S. 48
Violin Concerto No.3 In E Major, M.S. 50
Violin Concerto No.4 In D Minor, M.S. 60
Maestosa Suonata Sentimentale, M.S. 51
Non piu mesta, M.S. 22 (1st recording of Paganini’s original version with violin tuned semi tone higher)
I Palpiti, M.S. 77 (1st recording of Paganini’s original version with violin tuned semi tone higher)
Le Streghe, M.S. 19 (1st recording of Paganini’s original version with violin tuned semitone higher)
Sonata a Preghiera sulla quarta corda, sul tema dal “Mosè in Egitto” di Rossini M.S. 23
Suonata con Variazioni, M.S. 47
Napoleon, M.S. 5
Le couvent du Mont Saint Bernard. M.S. 67
Religiosa introduzione al Rondo del Campanello M.S. 67/1 (World Premier Recording)

G. ARNAUDOV

Violin Concerto “Concierto barocco”

W. BAER

Concerto for two violins and orchestra “Cantus Gemellus” (dedicated to Mario Hossen and Deborah Marchetti)

J. S. BACH

Complete Violin Concertos

L. van BEETHOVEN

Complete works for Violin and Orchestra

R. BISCHOF

Violin Concerto No. 1, Violin Concerto No. 2 (dedicated to Mario Hossen), Double Concerto for Violin, Violoncello and Orchestra

G. BOTTESINI

Grand Duo Concertante

J. BRAHMS

Violin Concerto in D major – Double Concerto in A minor

M. BRUCH

Violin Concerto No. 1 in G minor, Violin Concerto No. 2 in D minor, Scottish Fantasy, Double Concerto

J. CONUS

Violin Concerto

François- Pierre DESCAMPS

Violin Concerto “Orphée invaincu” (dedicated to Mario Hossen)

G. DONIZETTI

Double Concerto

M. GOLEMINOV

Violin Concerto, Concerto for String Quartet and String Orchestra

K.A. HARTMANN

Violin Concerto

J. HAYDN

Complete Violin Concertos

D. KABALEVSKY

Violin Concerto in C Major

F. KREISLER

Violin Concerto in C major “In the style of Vivaldi, Viennese Rhapsodic Fantasietta, Caprice Viennois, Liebesleid, Liebesfreud, Schon Rosamarin, La Gitana, Syncopation, Marche miniature viennoise etc.

W. A. MOZART

Complete works for Violin and Orchestra

F. MENDELSSOHN

Complete works for Violin and Orchestra

A. PIAZZOLLA

“Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas”

M. PONCE

Violin Concerto

C. SAINT-SAENS

Introduction and Rondo capriccioso, Havanaise

P. de SARASATE

Carmen-Fantasie, Zigeunerweisen, Zapateado, Romanza Andaluza, Navarra

F. SCHUBERT

Complete works for Violin and Orchestra

R. SCHUMANN

Violin Concerto in D minor

J. SIBELIUS

Violin Concerto in D minor

V. STOYANOV

Violin Concerto

G. TARTINI

Devil’s Trill Sonata for Violin and Orchestra – Concerto in D minor

P. TSCHAIKOVSKY

Violin Concerto in D Major

A. VIVALDI

4 Seasons and all concertos from Il cimento dell’armonia e dell’inventione (Opus 8), all Concertos Op. 3 and more then 20 other Violin Concertos

P. VLADIGUEROV

Violin Concerto No. 1, “Vardar” Rhapsody, “Song” from Bulgarian Suite

M. WEINBERG

Violin Concerto

E. WELLESZ

Suite for violin and chamber ensemble

H. WIENIAWSKI

Concertos and works for Violin and Orchestra

E. YSAYE

“Amitié”, Symphonic Poème pour 2 Violons et Orchestre

INTEGRAL RECITALS - VIOLIN | PIANO OR HARPSICHORD

J. S. BACH

Complete Violin Sonatas BWV 1014- 1019
Complete Violin Solo Sonatas and Partitas BWV 1001- 1006 with Piano accompaniment by R. Schumann

L. van BEETHOVEN

Complete Violin Sonatas

J. BRAHMS

Complete Violin Sonatas

G. FAURE

Complete Violin Sonatas

G. HANDEL

Complete Violin Sonatas

W. A. MOZART

Complete Violin Sonatas

F. SCHUBERT

Complete Works for Violin and Piano

WORKS FOR VIOLIN & PIANO (Flute, Violoncello, Viola, Clarinet, Cristal, Harp)

AMERICAN COMPOSERS: A. Copland, C. Ives, L. Bernstein

AUSTRIAN COMPOSERS: J. Haydn, W. A. Mozart, F. Kreisler, R. Bischof, I. Eroed, G. Einem, G. Waldeck, A. Webern, M. T. von Paradis, A. Schoenberg

BULGARIAN COMPOSER: G. Arnaudov, S. Dragostinov, M. Goleminov. P. Vladiguerov, L. Pipkov, P. Hadjiev, M. Kolarov, P. Christoskov, M. Leviev

CZECH COMPOSERS: A. Dvorak, J. Suk, J. Benda, L. Janacek

HUNGARIAN COMPOSERS: B. Bartok, Z. Kodaly, E. Hubay, F. Liszt, J. Joachim, E. Dohnányi

GERMAN COMPOSERS: J. S. Bach, G. Telemann, L. v. Beethoven, M. Reger, R. Strauss, C. M. Weber, R. Schumann, M. Bruch, E. Schhulhoff, W. Henze

FRENCH COMPOSERS: C. Franck, M. Ravel, C. Saint-Saëns, G. Tailleferre, O. Messiaen, J. Françaix, F. Gossec, Jean-Marie Leclair, A. Magnard, J. Mazas, Ch. Dancla, F. Poulenc. M. Deneuve

ITALIAN COMPOSERS: T. Albinoni, A. Corelli, F. Geminiani, G. Tartini, A. Vivaldi, T. Vitali, O. Respighi, A. Rolla, S. Mercadante, I. Fiorillo, P. Locatelli, P. Nardini, G. Torelli, A. Solbiati

POLISH COMPOSERS: H. Wieniawski, K. Szymanowski, M. Weinberg, K. Penderecki

RUSSIAN COMPOSERS: P. Tschaikovsky, R. Shchedrin, D. Shostakovich, S. Prokofiev, A. Schnittke, R. Gliere, G. Catoire

SPANISH COMPOSERS: T. Marco Aragón, E. Sanz Velez, J. Turina, J. Arriaga, M. de Falla, P. Sarasate, F. Mompou

SWITZERLAND COMPOSERS: W. Baer, B. Mersson

WORKS FOR SOLO VIOLIN

J. S. BACH

Sonatas and Partitas, BWV 1001- 1006

N. PAGANINI

24 Capricci, Op.1, M.S. 25
Capriccio: “Nel cor piu non mi sento” M.S. 4
Capriccio M.S. 54
Caprice d’Adieu, M.S. 68

R. BISCHOF

P. CHRISTOSKOV

E. SCHULHOFF

E. YSAYE

JAZZ- TANGO/ SPECIAL

C. BOLLING – Suite for Violin and Jazz Trio
A. PIAZZOLLA – “Cuatros Estaciones Porteñas” Quintet and other original pieces

CHAMBER MUSIC with 3 and more instruments

NICCOLO PAGANINI

Complete 18 Quartets
Napoleon, M.S. 5 (World Premier Recording with guitar)
La Primavera, M.S. 73 (World Premier Recording with piano)
Sonata movimento perpetuo, M.S. 66 (World Premier Recording with piano)
Terzetto per Violino, Violoncello e Chitarra, M.S. 69
Sonata Concertata, M.S. 2 and Sonatas with Guitar

J. S. BACH – Goldberg Variation for String Trio, arr. D. Sitkovetzky

L. v. BEETHOVEN – Piano Trios

J. BRAHMS – String Sextets Nr. 1 and Nr. 2

A. BRUCKNER – String Quintet

A. BORODIN – String Quartet No. 2

E. CHAUSSON – The Concert for Violin, Piano and String Quartet

C. DEBUSSY – Piano Trio

G. FAURE – Piano Quartet Nr. 1

C. FRANCK – Piano Quintet

M. GLINKA – Grand Sextet, Trio Pathétique

J. HUMMEL – W. A. MOZART

G. MAHLER – Piano Quartet

F. MENDELSSOHN – Piano Trio, Piano Sextet, String Octet

O. MESSIAEN – Piano Quartet “Quatuor pour la fin du temps”

W. A. MOZART – Piano Quartet. Clarinet Quintet, Flute Quartets

F. SCHUBERT – Trout Quintet (Forellenquintett)

R. SCHUMANN – Piano Quartet, Piano Quintet

J. SUK – Piano Quartet

J. STRAUSS – Waltz arr. by A. Schoenberg, A. Webern, A. Berg

Mario Hossen in formal white tie, holding his violin

Concerts

18. AUGUST 2026

Varna (BG)

Festival Congress Center

IMF "Varna Summer" - 100 anniversary

EUYO European Union Youth Orchestra

Mario Hossen, Violin

Gustavo Gimeno, Conductor

Pantcho Vladiguerov: Song from Bulgarian Suite for Violin and Orchestra

04. – 10. AUGUST 2026

St. St. Constantine and Elena (BG)

Mario Hossen and Friends

Mario Hossen, Violin · Liliana Kehayova, Violoncello · Pavel Vernikov, Violin (Switzerland / Israel) · Svetlana Makarova, Violin (Switzerland / Israel) · Klaudiusz Baran, Bandoneon (Poland) · Justyna Baran, Violin (Poland) · Wladimir Kossjanenko, Viola (Austria) · Vesna Podrug, Piano (Croatia) · Ilian Iliev, Clarinet (Bulgaria / USA) · Michiko Date, Soprano (Japan) · Diana Chausheva, Violin · Maria Sotriffer, Violin · Mihail Sotriffer, Violoncello · Veronika Ilieva, Piano · Vasilena Peeva, Viola · Anika Dimitrova, Double Bass

Chamber music works by Mozart, Schostakovich, Prokofiev, Piazzola etc.

02. AUGUST 2026

Vienna (AT)

Minoritenkirche – Concert Spirituel

INTEGRAL BACH & PAGANINI - VOL. I

Mario Hossen, Violin

Ivan Martin, Piano

Bach: Sonatas and Partitas for Violin Solo (BWV 1001, 1004, 1006) (mit Klavierbegleitung von R. Schumann) Paganini 24 Capricci: Nr. 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 14, 17, 18, 21, 22, 24