On September 17, according to the church calendar, Bulgarians pay homage to the holy martyrs the three sisters Faith, Hope and Love and their mother Sophia venerated by the Orthodox Church. They lived in Rome in the first half of 1st century AD. Sophia's mother was a Christian, and her three daughters were baptized with the names of the greatest Christian virtues - Faith, Hope and Love. The family did not hide their Christian faith and refused to deny it. So they were severely tortured.
Every year on this day, various celebrations are organized in Sofia associated with this occasion. And this year it is all the more reason to celebrate as it is also the first day of the school year. Sofians will be able to enjoy a rich musical program today.
On the Day of Sofia, a concert with previously unperformed works of guitarist and composer Nikolo Kotsev will be held in the Bulgaria concert hall. Along with his band Kikimora and the Symphony Orchestra of the BNR, he will perform under the direction of maestro Emil Tabakov. The compositions in the program are specially arranged for this event. The combination of the expressive means of rock and classical music will be presented to the audience in a new, modern way. The Kikimora band set up by Nikolo Kotsev especially for the concert on September 17 will be enlarged – it is joined by composer and pianist Nelko Kolarov and his colleague Konstantin Djambazov. The rock musicians will perform music of Nikolo Kotsev on acoustic instruments to blend their sound with that of the string group of the Radio Symphony Orchestra.
Nikolo has been living and working in Finland for years now. He has recorded several albums with his local band there called "Baltimore." He has played with musicians from the world rock scene such as Glenn Hughes, Joe Lynn Turner of the Deep Purple and Ian Haugland of Europe. In 2001, he released his first rock opera entitled Nostradamus. So, for most musicians it did not come as a surprise when he was proposed to perform on one stage with the Symphony Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio.
The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra also opens its new season today with a festive concert dedicated to the Day of Sofia. It is organized under the patronage of Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova, mayor of our city. The orchestra under the baton of Martin Panteleev will perform works by Lubomir Pipkov, Georges Bizet, Alexander Tekeliev and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The famous violinist and composer Martin Panteleev made his conducting debut with the Sofia Philharmonic in 2004. Two years later, he became a permanent guest conductor, and since July 2011 he has been chief conductor of the orchestra. A musician with vast experience, he had decided to open this year’s concert season with "Introduction and dances” from Lyubimir Pipkov’s opera Momchil. Fans of classical music will be able to hear also works by renowned world composers. Soloist will be the German pianist Glemzer Bern.
In September, Sofia hosted an important festival on its local musical scene - the Festival for pop and rock music 2012. Sofia Municipality and the Sprint Production Association organized a week of Faith, Hope and Love. From September 10 to 16, concerts were held of different musical genres devoted to the national campaign "Let's be better". It aims at raising funds for the construction of a Center for treatment and rehabilitation of people injured in accidents and people in vigilant coma.
The festival for Pop and Rock Music Sofia 2012 was held in two categories - "Competition for best new Bulgarian pop and rock song" and "International competition for performers". The gala concert will be tonight with the award ceremony for the winners in both competitions.
English version: Rossitsa Petcova
