In this music feature we present young Bulgarian pianist Georgi Cherkin. He was born in Sofia in 1977 and was named after his grandfather - renowned composer Georgi Zlatev Cherkin. “I can say that all members of my family are musicians- my father works in the pop and jazz music field. I am a descendent of the exceptional violinist Nedyalka Simeonova who is my grandmother’s sister. Many of my uncles and aunts are also linked to music”, says the pianist and adds that he started to follow in his ancestor’s footsteps driven by mere child curiosity.

“I started to show interest in music at the age of 5 or 6. Gradually I started to pick out different cords and tones. All this was making me very happy. I joined the music school in Sofia at the age of 7, where I took piano lessons under the guidance of Antonina Boneva. Later I graduated the music academy Santa Cecilia di Roma (Italy). There I was I graduate of the renowned pedagogue Sergio Petricaroli. Then I went to Salzburg (Austria) to specialize in music under the guidance of Karl-Heinz Kammerling. I studied only under the guidance of famous musicians, which makes me extremely proud."

Georgi Cherkin is a winner of prestigious awards such as the “Crystal lyre” and the “Golden age” for his great contribution to the Bulgarian culture and art. He is a laureate of many international and local competitions such as “Albert Russel”, “Young musical talents”, “Music and Earth”, etc. His music repertoire consists of over 25 piano concertos, different in style. The masterly pianist is the first Bulgarian who performed at the age of 18 the Rachmaninoff’s Second Concerto for Piano and Orchestra. He was a soloist of all famous Bulgarian orchestras and had many performances in towns such as Berlin, Brussels, New York and many others.

“I think I have inherited the talent of my grandfather. Unfortunately he died 2 months before my birth. Recently I am overwhelmed by a creative impulse to compose and orchestrate music pieces”, says Georgi Cherkin and ads that his new special line is a supplement of his achievements as a musician. He orchestrated various musical pieces for piano and orchestra, among which are ones such as the” Four Seasons” by Tchaikovsky. In October, 2012, the talented Bulgarian musician performed on the stage of Bulgaria hall in Sofia in the accompaniment of the Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra. 

“The music program consisted of pieces of the great Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky”. The premiere of my music version was held 2 years ago when I performed alongside the Classic FM orchestra. I can say that the concerto was very successful. Then I performed in Paris (France) and Seoul (South Korea). It was a great recognition for me when I was invited to perform my pieces with the Sophia Philharmonic Orchestra again. My favorite composers are the Russian ones- Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninoff and Scriabin. I also like most of the composers from the Romantic period- Schumann, Brahms, Chopin and Liszt. This is the type of music which makes me feel comfortable and express myself well. I would like to record the Four Seasons by Tchaikovsky under my arrangement with the Symphonic Orchestra of the BNR. I am trying to introduce a new trend- to add the color of the symphonic sound to the original pieces for piano and make them more influential and diverse." 

In 2013 both the Bulgarian and the foreign audience can enjoy the great performance of Georgi Cherkin. He will make concerts in Portugal, Germany and France and in the beginning of June he will perform again on the stage of Bulgaria hall in Sofia. There he will perform concerto No 17 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart along with the Classic FM Orchestra and conductor Grigor Palikarov.

English version: Kostadin Atanasov