Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2024 All Rights Reserved

Piano Extravaganza - music for connoisseurs

Photo: piano-extravaganza.com

The Piano Extravaganza Festival is one of the most exquisite music events in the Bulgarian capital. The programming of the forthcoming 10th edition has undergone some changes, but in the current situation this is inevitable. Due to the unstable situation, the organizers have decided not to hold the traditional Open Day to prevent crowds.

There are eight concerts in the program, two of them in a chamber hall. What they have in common is the participation of pianist Lyudmil Angelov, artistic director of the event. On October 2, when the opening takes place, the audience will have the opportunity to hear Schumann’s vocal cycle "The Poet's Love" - one of the iconic works not only in the composer's work, but also for the whole era of Romanticism as a creative direction. The vocal part will be performed by the tenor Bülent Bezdüz from Turkey – one of the three foreign participants in the festival.

There will be a chamber concert on October 4th, when famous Bulgarian violinist Mincho Minchev and Lyudmil Angelov will play together for the first time.

Lyudmil Angelov

One of the ideas of the festival is to support the new generation of performers. This year the representative of the young talents is Maria-Desislava Stoycheva with a concert on October 13th .

A piano recital by the Russian pianist Sergei Redkin is also planned for October 14th .


At the very inception of the festival one of its main tasks was stated to be the promotion of piano works of high artistic value by composers who have not gained popularity or have remained in the shadow of already established names. A similar example is the work of Prof. Andrey Stoyanov (brother of the composer Veselin Stoyanov), known primarily for his huge contribution to piano instruction in Bulgaria. Little-known piano works of Andrey Stoyanov will be performed by Prof. Rostislav Yovchev in a concert on October 10th.

Prof. Antonio di Cristofano

The program line called "Continuity" continues, in which Piano Extravaganza presents teachers and students, affirming the integral connection between them. Three concerts are planned – of the famous Bulgarian pedagogue and pianist Rada Chomakova (October 6th), of Prof. Antonio di Cristofano from Italy (October 21st), and of their students (October 9th).

The festival concerts will be held in several venues in Sofia, including the Sofia City Gallery, Bulgaria Chamber Hall and the Pancho Vladigerov National Music Academy.

Photos: piano-extravaganza.com, private library, Facebook /Antonio di Cristofano




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Kanela, the scent of childhood and the beauty of poetry

The band Kanela (Cinnamon) has been known for years, but in 2022 they started recording new songs with a new line-up. First came "Fairy", followed by "Always", "Flowers" and "A Ring", the latter staying in the BNR TOP 20 charts for more than a month...

published on 11/15/24 12:30 PM

"Never stop searching" – the message in Zhivko Vasilev’s music

An extraordinary journey between musical genres and geographical locations awaits us on November 14 in Sofia. The soft sound of Bulgarian folk instrument kaval will meet the classical sound of the Sofia Soloists Chamber..

published on 11/14/24 8:44 AM

"Prituri sa planinata" - Deep Zone pass on beautiful Bulgarian music to the next generations

The lords of good vibes DEEP ZONE Project are preparing their top event of the year. For the first time they are organizing DEEP ZONE All Stars, bringing together all their vocalists and collaborations over the years. For the past 25..

published on 11/13/24 9:21 AM