Sofia Soloists Ensemble
It is difficult to evaluate the merit of the Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble for the development of Bulgarian music culture: gramophone records /over 80/, tours all around the world, which have continued for more than half a century, numerous first performances of Bulgarian and foreign works from different periods.
The ensemble has worked with all outstanding Bulgarian musicians – composers, conductors, soloists. With some of them /M. Goleminov, K. Iliev, D. Petkov, F. Kutev, M. Mintchev, etc./ the relationship goes beyond the usual artistic collaboration. A number of Bulgarian pieces were composed especially for the ensemble. Among the conductors and soloists worked with the Soloists are the names of H. Schering, H. Holliger, D. Chafran, N. Zabaleta, P. Gallois, V. Katsarova, N. Kennedy, etc. Since 1988 Principal conductor of the ensemble has been Plamen Dzurov, who has adapted the ensemble’s traditions with the new situation in the music life. Occasionally the chamber string formation, consisting of 14 musicians, is joined by wind, brass and percussion instruments and under the name Sofia Soloists Music Association extends their repertoire from symphonies and concertos by Haydn and Mozart to works by Bartok, Shostakovich and others. Their recordings /for BMG-Germany, Denon, Balkanton, Gega and others/ sell on three continents. As addition to its repertoire variety, this season the Sofia Soloists Association is preparing the premiere of Chr. W. Gluck’s opera Orpheus.
Plamen Dzhurov graduated at the Music Academy of Sofia in three subjects: piano, conducting and composition. For six years he was conductor of the Pleven Philharmonic Orchestra. Later he toured with Bulgarian and foreign orchestras, among them – the Philharmonic Orchestra of Mexico, symphony orchestras of Havana, Flensburg, Saraevo, Skopje and Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1984 he specialized with Karl Oesterreicher at the Vienna Music Academy. Since 1988 he has worked with the Sofia Soloists. Among his numerous radio and TV recordings /over 300/ are series of first performances by Bulgarian and foreign composers, integrals of Bach’s piano concertos, integral panorama of literature for guitar and orchestra and more than 15 CDs. He has conducted hundreds of concerts with the Soloists in Europe, North America, Japan and Republic of Korea. At present he is a Professor in conducting at Pancho Vladigerov State Music Academy. As a composer he has devoted himself mostly to the instrumental genres: Elegy for Orchestra (1980); Toccata for Orchestra (1982); Fantasia for Orchestra (1985);Four Ballads, Cadenza for saxophone and Violine (1994).
Participate Varna summer 2009
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