It is that time of year once again, a time of well-wishing, of gifts and of wonderful music. If you are an admirer of music, “without which life would be a mistake”, as Friedrich Nietzsche put it, then you are sure to appreciate the music selection we have put together for you.

They are musicians of different generations, most of them have been living abroad for dozens of years though they have never severed their bond with their country, and wherever they may be, have continued to make their contribution to Bulgarian culture.

One of these musicians is Vesko Eschkenazy – concertmaster of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, another – pianist Ludmil Angelov, founder and artistic director of the international music festival in Toledo, and of the Piano Extravaganza International Music Festival in Sofia.

Just a few days ago Alexandrina Pendatchanska performed as Tosca in the opera by Puccini at the Sofia opera house for the first time, adding one more unforgettable role to the almost 70 roles in her repertoire.

Alexandrina Pendatchanska made her debut at the age of 17 almost 30 years ago, with the aria of Violetta from Act 1 of La Traviata by Verdi.

In 2017 Plamena Mangova conquered new world stages, but she also performed back home, in Bulgaria Hall, together with the Sofia Philharmonic with conductor Gilbert Varga, Great Britain.

It was exactly ten years ago when she won second place at the prestigious Queen Elisabeth piano competition in Belgium. Since then, Plamena has won many major awards and has put through many successful projects.

“Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and that which cannot remain silent”, Victor Hugo. With the intelligence of a scholar and the intuition of an artist, Hugo formulates one of the “cosmic” states interpretation is capable of attaining – the freedom of being the first to convey a message through music, even though many performers before you have endeavoured to do the same. This is something that is given to the most gifted, and it makes no matter when a given performer has first appeared on stage.

Unknown to the broad public, Peter Deltchev is the only Bulgarian violinist, two-times laureate of the international Paganini competition in Genoa – at the age of 17 and 18. At the time critics dubbed him “the new Paganini”, “the young Heifetz”… But then his life was turned upside down, mostly for health reasons. He has been living in Italy and no longer plays. The recordings he has left us are a testimony to an incredible talent.

The traditional end-of-year concerts by the Bulgarian National Radio Symphony Orchestra offer a colourful collection of world masterpieces, interpreted with much emotion and incredible professionalism. The recordings we have selected for you are from 1 January, 2013, when the BNR orchestra was conducted by Emil Tabakov. The concert took place in Hall No.1 of the National Palace of Culture and the programme featured more than 20 gems from different epochs.

And the grand finale – Mnogaya Leta, Grant, Oh Lord, Many Years, and legendary Bulgarian basso Boris Christoff.

English version: Milena Daynova