Honolulu Symphony members might want to get used to the face on the right.

Maestro Rossen Milanov, 41, is a finalist to take over Samuel Wong's long-vacated titles of music director and conductor of the Honolulu Symphony. Last here to guest-guide the orchestra in September 2005, Milanov returns this weekend to do the same for "Straight From the Heart," a program of romance-themed classical pieces.

Performed both evenings will be Debussy's "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun," Chopin's Concerto for Piano and Orchestra No. 1 in E Minor and Rimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade." The shows will also feature Italian pianist Fabio Bidini.

The current associate conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and artistic director of its summer program, Milanov will guest-conduct our orchestra — and guest violinist Jennifer Koh — again in March.

He phoned from the Netherlands last week, where he was conducting the Rotterdam Philharmonic, to discuss romance music, his possible new job and why yogurt in his native Bulgaria is the bomb.

Are any of the compositions in this romance-themed program particularly close to you?

Oh, yes! (Laughs.) I'm very happy, actually, because all three pieces on the program are pieces that I do very often and that I happen to love very much. "The Afternoon of a Faun" is a piece that I've lived with for many, many years. ... This is a piece that I conducted on my graduation concert from the Juilliard School ... Musically speaking, I really feel that 20th- century music would have been quite different if this piece were not written by Debussy. I particularly appreciate the fact that the musical ideas (and) the feelings that it portrays are so delicate (and) expressed with such gentleness (and) with a lot of shades in it. ... It's one of the (most) challenging conducting pieces, as well. If you talk to conductors, they will most likely feel one way or another about the piece, depending on the type of experience that they have had with it. (Laughs.)

You are on the very short list of candidates hoping to take over maestro Samuel Wong's place as music director and conductor of the Honolulu Symphony. How did you get on that list?

It started with my first visit (to Honolulu), which was just a little over a year ago. I think the guest conductors that they had lined up for the entire (2005-06) season, more or less, were people that were interested in the position (or) were being considered by the symphony. But the way things work in our business ... you could not just throw your hat in and say, "I'm very interested in your position."

Normally, the initial step comes from the orchestra. What everybody is looking for afterward is some sort of a chemistry, which is equally important for both the conductor and the orchestra. The conductor, on one side, (has) to be able to work with musicians that understand what the meaning of music is for him. The conductor also (has) to understand what the situation of the particular orchestra is — not only looking at it is as music-making organization, but also its position in the community that it serves.

And how was the chemistry between our symphony and you last year?

(Laughs.) I had a great time conducting the Honolulu Symphony last year! Of course, I can only speak from my perspective. ... What I particularly enjoyed was the willingness of the musicians of the orchestra to really take the extra step. I'm a strong believer that in music, things are going to get only as good as we want them to get. And I think they were so willing and so dedicated in giving everything for these performances that we did last year. I was really touched.

What do you think are the biggest challenges facing symphony orchestras and live symphonic music today?

Taking for granted that the orchestras have to make the best possible music that they can. (Determining) how they relate to society and how they serve their constituency. (Determining) how they make themselves relevant to the environment in which they exist. This is the biggest challenge, no matter what the size is of the orchestra. ... How do we make this art relevant to people's lives? How do we make sure that the music enriches their life on a very personal level, because art is, normally, very personal.

You're hometown is Sofia, Bulgaria. What should I absolutely not miss on my first trip to Bulgaria?

Bulgaria is situated on the crossroads between east and west. ... So it's very interesting to observe both the western and eastern influences. One thing that you should not miss is enjoying the glorious nature of the country. It's very diverse. There are a lot of mountains and a lot of valleys.

It's also known as the country of the roses. It's one of the biggest producers of rose oil in the world.

There's beautiful yogurt — one of the best in the world. It has some special bacteria in it that doesn't grow anywhere else but in Bulgaria.

And, of course, there's the people. The people are very friendly and very welcoming. They just love very much showing their country and are very proud about it.

Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com.