A selection of 'Bulgaria' articles

Classical music news. November 2023 Newsletter - Our November 2023 PDF newsletter, 'Beautiful, Powerful Music', has just been published

A Treasure Trove - Roderic Dunnett explores the substantial catalogue of Regent Records

Spotlight. East meets West - Geoff Pearce enjoys music from Türkiye and its neighbouring countries. 'Immediately one is struck by the sensitivity, technical proficiency and joy of these two performers, flautist Nicole Esposito and harpist Çağatay Akyol.'

CD Spotlight. A More Advanced Creed - Adolphe Adam's ballet 'Orfa', passionately recommended by Gerald Fenech. '... really arresting playing full of joy and rhythmic beauty.'

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - Looks like we got ourselves a reader

Ensemble. Peak Intensity - Mike Wheeler listens to Dvořák, J S Bach, Dobrinka Tabakova and Sibelius from Jakob Koranyi, Tabita Berglund and the Hallé Orchestra

Echoes of Oblivion by Robert McCarney - Champions of Oblivion

Ensemble. Almost as Verdi would have Wanted - Giuseppe Pennisi was in the audience for 'Aida'

Ensemble. Simply Outstanding - Mike Wheeler listens to Dukas, Elgar, Tabakova and Walton from Zlatomir Fung, Ben Gernon and the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra

CD Spotlight. A Pianist who Deserves Attention - Geoff Pearce enjoys listening to Can Çakmur. '... a stellar performance by this fine young pianist.'

CD Spotlight. Nobler in the Mind? - Giuseppe Pennisi finds Joseph Summer's 'Hamlet' a musical hodgepodge. '... almost in late Romantic style.'

Ensemble. In Full Command - British harpist Lucy Nolan plays music by Marcel Tournier, Benjamin Britten, Sally Beamish, Paul Patterson, Tsvetlina Likova and Astor Piazzolla, heard by Mike Wheeler

Ensemble. Becoming One - Mike Wheeler listens to music by Raphael Clarkson, Cecilia McDowall, Beethoven, Bartók, Preetha Narayanan and Mozart to celebrate Sinfonia Viva's fortieth anniversary

CD Spotlight. Passion, Intensity and Verve - Gerald Fenech listens to Giordano's 'Siberia'. '... full of emotional warmth and heartfelt fidelity.'

CD Spotlight. Utterly Beautiful - Nadejda Vlaeva plays piano music by Bulgarian composer Pancho Vladigerov, delighting Roderic Dunnett. '... a notably original disc ... well worth exploring.'

Ensemble. Two Young Stars in the Musical Firmament - Giuseppe Pennisi listens to cellist Zlatomir Fung and pianist Richard Fu

CD Spotlight. Byzantine Style and Tropical Scales - Gerald Fenech listens to music by Petros Petridis. '... committed vigour and passionate warmth.'

CD Spotlight. Truly Sparkling Music - Gerald Fenech listens to Johann Strauss II's 1895 operetta 'Waldmeister'. 'Dario Salvi's attention to detail and animated conducting serves the composer's intentions to the hilt and does justice to his luscious music.'

Classical music news - Female Grief, Sacrifice and Heroism - Announcing the release of 'iGIRL', a new electronic opera by Roger Doyle with libretto by Marina Carr

CD Spotlight. Extremely Rare - 'Mademoiselle de Belle-Isle' by Spyridon Samaras, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'Performances are excellent ...'

Classical music news - March 2021 Obituaries - Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

Ensemble. A Fast Rising Career - Bulgarian soprano Sonya Yoncheva's Met Stars recital with pianist Julien Quentin, experienced by Maria Nockin

A Tale of Two Centuries - Jenna Orkin reads Emile Naoumoff's 'Chronicles With Nadia Boulanger'

Classical music news - November 2020 Obituaries - Our summary of those the classical music world has lost this month

CD Spotlight. Dazzling Virtuosity - Mendelssohn concertos from the Stankov Ensemble and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, highly recommended by Gerald Fenech. 'Exceptionally beautiful music, sparklingly performed, sumptuously recorded, with a very insightful essay thrown in for good measure.'

Ensemble. Packed With Good Things - Roderic Dunnett reports from the 2019 Three Choirs Festival in Gloucester

CD Spotlight. Interesting Music - Orchestral works by Martin Georgiev, heard by Geoff Pearce. 'Direction and performances are first class, and for people who appreciate contemporary classical music, there is a lot to enjoy here.'

CD Spotlight. Lucid and Commanding - Bartók piano music, heard by Gerald Fenech. 'American pianist Terry Eder despatches this difficult repertoire with great rhythmic vitality and expressive exuberance ...'

CD Spotlight. Highly Commendable - Kim Cook plays French music for cello and orchestra, heard by Howard Smith. '... a musician to be reckoned with.'

CD Spotlight. A Real Discovery - Eastern European music for bassoon and piano, heard by Geoff Pearce. '... great performances from Maria Wildhaber and her colleagues ...'

CD Spotlight. Euro Folk Champions - The Apollo Chamber Players, impress Howard Smith. '... this scantily adorned traditional music derives straight from the heartbeat of regions in Southern, Eastern, and Central Europe.'

DVD Spotlight. Blissful Serenity? - Massenet's 'Don Quichotte', reviewed by Robert Anderson. 'The Sofia pit has performed throughout with a rationality that appears only fitfully on stage.'

Ensemble. Informative and Exhilarating - Chamber and instrumental music from China and elsewhere, heard by Maria Nockin

DVD Spotlight. Creative Ageing? - Biana Kovic's 'Virtuoso', reviewed by Howard Smith. '... there's little new here at all.'

Ensemble. Tuning in Afresh - Bill Newman listens to Bulgarian pianist Vesselin Stanev

CD Spotlight. A Delightful Spirit - Balkan music for flute and guitar, heard by Howard Smith. '... a near perfect blend of timbre and balance ...'

Ensemble. Vivid and Enlivening - Donizetti's 'Maria di Rohan', reviewed by Robert Hugill

Ensemble. Robust Voices - Susan Hampton visits Boston for Puccini's 'La bohème'

CD Spotlight. Mozart across Niagara - Peter Hatch's 'Wiki Mozart' delights Jennifer Paull. '... an intoxicating cocktail.'

Ensemble. Grippingly-staged - Mike Wheeler is delighted to be surprised by Donizetti's 'Lucrezia Borgia'

Ensemble. Sonic Imagination - Mike Wheeler listens to Horses Brawl

CD Spotlight. An Undisturbed Evenness - Choral music 'from a Russian cathedral', heard by Paul Sarcich. '... engineered to tranquillity ...'

CD Spotlight. A Lyric Voice - Arias performed by Vania Vatralova-Stankov, reviewed by Robert Hugill. '... a richness and depth ...'

CD Spotlight. Eminently Agreeable - Piano music by Ahmet Adnan Saygun, recommended by Howard Smith. '... unfailing rhythmic clarity and beautifully controlled dynamics ...'

Ensemble. Colourful Renditions - Recitals by Denitsa Laffchieva and Evelina Puzaite, reviewed by Bill Newman

CD Spotlight. An Interesting Mix - Sacred treasures, enjoyed by Robert Hugill. '... certainly intoxicating.'

Ensemble. Slav Triumph - Malcolm Troup succumbs to the pzazz of the Burov/Miletic Duo

CD Spotlight. Superbly Measured - Music by Haskell Small and Mussorgsky, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... indisputably fine pianism ...'

A Force to Reckon With - Malcolm Miller enjoys a Wigmore Hall recital by the young Bulgarian pianist Vesselin Stanev

Ensemble. A Rare Treat - A New Jersey 'Magic Flute', reviewed by Maria Nockin

Ensemble. Expansively Romantic - Teatro Lirico d'Europa's 'La Traviata', reviewed by Maria Nockin

CD Spotlight. Unruffled lifestyle - Music by Roumi Petrova, reviewed by Howard Smith. '... splendid performances from start to finish.'

CD Spotlight. Emotional drama - Tristan und Isolde, appreciated by Maria Nockin. '... you feel you are sitting in the tenth row center ...'

CD Spotlight. Gentle subtlety - Music by Henri Lazarof, appreciated by Patric Standford. '... a composer deserving an attentive ear.'

CD Spotlight - Magisterial presence. '... a performance that is at once radiant, powerful and precise.' Garnet Ungar plays Brahms, reviewed by John Bell Young