Starting today until the end of the week, one of the halls of Opera de Lyon has been let to Mario Stantchev. The famous pianist and composer has been invited there to present some of his projects. On stage l’Amphi Opera he teams up with musicians with whom he has worked in the recent years. There are a few Bulgarians among them.

Mario Stantchev was born in Sofia to a Bulgarian-French family of musicians. He started his career in Sofia but later emigrated to France where he has been living and working for decades. For long years Stantchev was professor at the jazz department that he himself had pioneered, of the National Conservatory in Lyon. He has received a few awards for his role in that French city’s cultural life. Asked whether he feels Bulgarian or French he replies: “My nationality is Musician”.

“Within the three days that Opera de Lyon has kindly given to me, I will hold three evening and two daytime concerts", Mario Stanchev explains. "We open the series with my trio Origines or Origins. The music incorporates themes from Bulgarian folklore, world music, romanticism etc. The guest-soloist is clarinetist Louis Scalvis. On 28^th of March with my New Bulgarian Trio we play music from a new jazz album that we will soon present in Bulgaria. In it I play jointly with percussionist Hristo Yotzov and with double bass player Dimitar Karamfilov. For the third project entitled Open Trio I have invited saxophonist Laurent Blumenthal and Bulgarian percussionist Stoyan Yankulov. I think that the audiences will enjoy the Pianos Battle waged between me and a few of my former students from the Lyon Conservatory. My love for classical music becomes obvious in the concert Goldberg or not Goldberg for two pianos based on Johann Sebastian Bach’s celebrated work Goldberg Variations. My partner will be Samuel Fernandez. I am very happy to have been given the chance of presenting the different faces of my creative work.”

English Daniela Konstantinova