The Balabanov House Music Days festival is an event that offers quite intriguing autumn and spring programs. From a forum focused on chamber concerts in the famous Balabanov House located in the Old Town of Plovdiv, today it gathers audiences at various venues in the ancient city. Details about the fifth festival we learn from Mila Pavlova, its artistic director.

"Our spring edition coincides with a landmark date, May 18. On this day, 100 years ago in Plovdiv, the great Bulgarian bass Boris Christoff was born, an opera singer loved and revered worldwide. Therefore the festival’s team has decided to open the event on this day with a concert with the motto, 100 Bulgarian Voices Sing for Boris Christoff. It is featuring four excellent choirs: two boys’ choirs - from Plovdiv and Sofia; Vasil Arnaoudov Chamber Choir, and the men’s choir named after Stefka Blagoeva. The stage will gather more than 100 voices who will sing together in a final performance. The next concert is at Balabanov House - the home of our festival. On 20 May the Magic of Virtuosity will present Bulgarian violinist Mario Hossen, who lives and works in Austria. He will be a soloist and conductor of the Camerata Orphica, with the special participation of pianist Milena Mollova. This concert will go together with the exhibition Dimitar Kirov and Music. The great artist from Plovdiv was born exactly on this day. In addition, he painted a portrait of Mario Hossen as a child that will be part of the exhibition. The display itself will be mounted on easels in the concert space at the Balabanov House. I think the relationship between music and art will be direct and powerful."

The program of the Balabanov House Music Days includes a concert that represents a journey back in time to the origins of sound. Especially for it Swiss horn soloist Edward Deskur is expected to Bulgaria. He is one of the most prominent masters of the ancient instrument – the natural horn and has worked with celebrities including mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli. Edward Deskur has performed on stage with world-renowned names in Baroque music.

Every edition of the Plovdiv festival presents installments from the cycle featuring musicians who are partners both on stage and in life. Bulgarian Denitza Van Pelt /piano/ and Michael Van Pelt /saxophone/ from USA are active concertizing across the Atlantic. They will present the program Love Duets. Mila Pavlova tells us about another highlight of the spring festival:

"On June 1, there will be a large children's concert, the second after last year’s nominated for a 2013 project. It is dedicated to children who love music and features wonderful youth groups. The Marching Stars Band from Zlatitza are known as the marching stars who play, have a cheerleader group and are very entertaining to watch. Other participants to be presented at the Balabanov House Music Days include Accent Percussion Band from Pleven and the Pioneer Philharmonic from Sofia. Audiences will listen to the orchestra of the National School for Music and Dance in Plovdiv conducted by Plamen Parvanov. Soloists will be the leaders of some of Bulgaria’s best orchestras. The youngest among them is Sofia Prodanova. The talented student from the Plovdiv School of Music has won first prize in the competition named after Dobrin Petkov. The concert will be held in the famous Roman Stadium of Philippopolis built in the early second century AD. During the Classical Antiquity, along with sports competitions, it was the venue of musical, poetic and theater shows. So I think the place is very suitable for this concert as young musicians are going to compete with each other. Both for them and for the audience this will be a most rewarding experience."

The program of the festival presents Yordan Kamdzhalov. Being Chief Conductor of the Opera and Philharmonic Orchestra of Heidelberg, Germany, he is known, loved and respected in his home country and abroad. This year we will see him at the head of the Plovdiv Opera Symphony Orchestra. Soloists will be winners of the foundation bearing his name: Vassilena Serafimova, percussions, Elitsa Deseva, piano, and Penka Petkova, cello.

The Balabanov House Music Days Festival in Plovdiv will present a chamber concert of world-acclaimed violinist Mila Georgieva and pianist Evgeni Genchev, a Plovdiv graduate who has studied music in England. The final concert is on June 21 and features Vanguel Tangarov, solo clarinetist of Austin Lyric Opera, Mid Texas Symphony and the Victoria Symphony in USA. He and violist Rumen Tsvetkov will give free master classes for young musicians during the festival.

English Version: Daniela Konstantinova

The audio to this file features the following tracks:

(1)  A fragment from Concerto for piano, violin a string quartet by Ernst Chausson in the rendition of Mario Hossen, Milena Mollova and Orpheists Quartet

(2)  A fragment from Pictures at an Exhibition by Modest Mussorgsky in the rendition of the Sofia Philharmonic conductor Yordan Kamdzhalov

(3)  Meditation by Jules Massenet performed by Mila Georgieva (violin) and Plamena Mangova (piano)