Tonight, 31 October, audiences will be able to hear music from different ages and in different styles, performed on an instrument whose name means “sweet-voiced”. The concert is at the Bulgarian National Radio’s concert studio – Studio No. 1.

The idea belongs to Tsvetan Troyanski, a musician with extensive experience with brass instruments. His first encounter with them was at school, when he learnt to play the bass flugelhorns with the school band. Later, he graduated trombone at the Academy of Music, Dance and Fine Arts in Plovdiv. He has played with the Sofia brass orchestra, though there he played the tenor horn (a brass wind instrument in the saxhorn family). Tsvetan has been a trombonist with the BNR’s Big Band since 1996. But for this concert programme he chose the euphonium. His partners in this endeavour are also from the Big Band – Ognyan Veskov - guitar and Stefan Kozhuharov – percussion. They will be performing on stage alongside Mario Angelov – pianist and producer of the BNR’s Symphony Orchestra.

The programme will revolve around the euphonium – an instrument, sometimes called a tenor tuba. Though there is a well-established brass band tradition in this country, the euphonium is not particularly popular in Bulgaria, but in other countries you will hear it as part of different instrumental ensembles and in different music genres. Enthralled by the beauty of its timbre, some time ago Tsvetan bought a euphonium and started playing it as a hobby.

“The euphonium is mostly used by marching bands in USA, and in some countries of Asia, as well as in Great Britain,” Tsvetan Troyanski says. “There are symphonic works, whose musical scores feature this instrument – like Gustav Holst’s “The Planets”. The instrument derives its name from Greek and means “sweet-voiced”. The repertoire I selected for the concert is highly variegated stylistically, because it was my intent to show how this instrument can be used in different genres – classical music, Argentine tango, rock, czardas. I wanted to have a Bulgarian work as well – so a horo was also included. Some of the pieces we shall perform have been adapted for euphonium by different musicians. Others, I adapted myself. Though it is my project, Mario Angelov embraced the idea right away and literally fell in love with the “sweet voice” of the instrument. Ognyan Veskov and Stefan Kozhuharov also play a role that it indispensable. Stefan joined us somewhat later, so you won’t see his name on the posters. We are very grateful to Maya Raykova – music producer at the BNR, as well as to the BNR’s Music House department for their support and help in carrying the idea through.”

English version: Milena Daynova