I see no reason to neglect the Bulgarian works of serious music - audiences should have the chance to listen to Bulgarian music, especially with a view to the increasingly vocal and slogan-type patriotism that society has recently seen. This is the point of view of Prof. Plamen Djouroff. Composer, conductor and lecturer at the National Academy of Music, he has for close to three decades now been leading the Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra. The renowned orchestra appears in concert on Friday. More details - from Prof. Djouroff:

“At the Central Military Club tonight we present a fully Bulgarian program. We are going to play one of the most difficult Bulgarian works - Symphony No. 4 by Alexander Raichev. This work was composed especially for the Sofia Soloists. This way we shall mark the 95th birth anniversary of the eminent composer. We have also included in the program the Concerto for Two Violins by Mihail Pekov, as well as the unforgettable Adagio by Krassimir Kyurkchiiski. I must say that neglecting Bulgarian works of serious music is very sad. Already some scores of major works have been lost, others are in a deplorable state. If we take a look at the programs of big orchestras around the globe, we shall see that they perform national music on a regular basis, as well as 20 c. music. The present-day music language is not just the language of dance music and short formats. It is in a way elitist requiring an effort on the part of listeners to explore the theme and to have wider general knowledge. I have not lost hope that Bulgaria will again earn the right to communicate on an equal footing with the rest of European countries where music is concerned. We have a much greater potential than we actually show. Our concerts abroad are by rule successful, and I have for years wondered to hear comments like: “How can a country like yours have such an orchestra?” To this I reply: “And what exactly do you know about Bulgaria and the Bulgarian musicians?”

Going back in time, the first rehearsal of the Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra was back in November 1961. It was a get-together of young string instrument players. Six months later was the first concert that earned a standing ovation. A few days ago marked the 55th anniversary since that memorable event.

“From the very start the firm foundation of the orchestra was superb professionalism and this keeps us going. The principles of work are like with a string quartet. In the beginning, the instrumentalists rehearsed divided into three quartets. This quest for utter precision is a Sofia Soloists signature, and this makes working with the formation a unique experience. Work is very much focused on detail. Let me draw a comparison between print art and oil painting. With us everything is sfumato and it requires fine-tuning from both instrumentalists and the audience. The first concert of Sofia Soloists was conducted by Mihail Angelov who also compiled the program. The soloists included Milena Mollova, Nicola Ghiuselev and Radka Gaeva. The orchestra gave a few more concerts with the same conductor and then worked with guest-conductors - Konstantin Iliev, Dobrin Petkov and Vassil Kazandjiev who later became its permanent conductor for 16 years. It was Prof. Kazandjiev who coined this consistent, in-depth and sometimes excruciating manner of work for elaborating details. This by the way is a manner typical of any musician who has self-respect. After some while Emil Tabakov took over at Sofia Soloists as conductor and composer. Interestingly, all three conductors who have for longer periods led Sofia Soloists are also composers. I have no explanation for this fact. I am the successor of a very robust tradition, I would say a very serious one”, concludes Sofia Soloist Chamber Orchestra conductor Plamen Djouroff.

English Daniela Konstantinova

Audio: Music in the rendition of the Sofia Soloists Chamber Orchestra

1. Dance from Five Sketches by Marin Goleminov

2. Adagio by Krassimir Kyurkchiiski

3. Moderato from Concerto for Two Violins and String Orchestra by Mihail Pekov