‎"In the Labyrinth of Time..." – we will be taken there by a special concert in the ‎hall of the National Music School "Lyubomir Pipkov" (on June 8). The occasion ‎is the 80th anniversary of the birth of Armenian-Bulgarian composer Artin ‎Potourlian (Poturlyan) (1943–2022).‎

A long-time professor at the Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music, a ‎man with vast horizons and a rich culture, the composer Artin Potourlian is ‎among those personalities in the Bulgarian cultural life who worthily defended ‎their creative position, regardless of the political, economic and social cataclysms ‎the country underwent. "Every sound carries information about the intimate, inner ‎essence of its source. A type of energy that is received and acts directly on the ‎sound-sensitive listener. The sound matter can be organized in different ways, but ‎for me it is important that its specific organization and the nature of each sound ‎are in harmony with the desired message," Prof. Poturlyan told Radio Bulgaria a ‎decade ago.‎

Graduate of the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" with a ‎specialty in "Music Pedagogy", during his years of study he studied composition ‎with Prof. Pencho Stoyanov and Prof. Pancho Vladigerov. These were followed ‎by five years of study in the composition class of Prof. Lazar Saryan at the ‎Komitas State Conservatory of Yerevan. In 1990, Potourlian began teaching at ‎the National Academy of Music "Prof. Pancho Vladigerov" in Sofia, where he ‎also defended his professorship. ‎

Artin Potourlian created the opera "The Cry" based on a story by Ray Bradbury, ‎he is the author of two symphonies, concertos for violin, cello, chamber music, ‎etc. His works have been performed in Yerevan, Tbilisi, Moscow, Vienna, ‎Salzburg, Bratislava, Berlin, Milan, Marseille, etc. Today, the name of Artin ‎Potourlian is deservedly among the most valuable Bulgarian artists of our time. ‎‎"He was extremely modest, but his contribution has yet to be appreciated," says ‎Radio Bulgaria's long-time music editor Albena Bezovska.‎

In the concert "In the Labyrinth of Time with Ravel and Debussy" on the ‎occasion of the 80th anniversary of the birth of Artin Potourlian, Anaida Akopyan ‎‎- piano teacher and performer, wife of the composer, and pianists Diana Rahneva ‎and Ina Ivanova will take part.‎

Photo: Albena Bezovska