BNR Folk Music Orchestra to open new season with premieres and debuts

An evening brimming with premieres is in store for audiences on 15 October at 7 pm in the Bulgarian National Radio’s First Studio, where the BNR Folk Music Orchestra will open its new concert season. The programme features compositions by Angel Dobrev, Anton Ganchev, Borislav Zgurovski, Georgi Andreev, Dimitar Hristov, Kostadin Genchev, Martin Vladimirov, Nikolay Paskalev and Peyo Peev.

As tradition dictates, the concert will open with soloists who recorded in BNR’s studios over the past year. Alongside established performers, including Stoimenka Nedyalkova, one of the most emblematic voices of the Pazardzhik region, audiences will hear five vocal debuts.

The Thracian folklore region will be represented by the distinctive voices of Nikolina Savova, Ani Bogdanova and Kristian Petrov. Strandzha will be represented by its young talent Hristiyana Peneva, who is still honing her skills at the Philip Kutev National School of Folk Arts in Kotel, while the authentic spirit of Pirin will come to life through Amide Darakchi.

The instrumental soloists are equally compelling. Gadulka player Darinka Tsekova will perform an original composition with a distinctly northern Bulgarian character, while bagpipe player Kostadin Atanasov will present his piece Dzhanguritsa. Kaval virtuoso Nedyalko Nedyalkov will perform his latest work.

Audiences will also discover new music by the orchestra’s chamber ensembles. The trio of Kostadin Genchev, Biser Sokolov and Hristiyan Tsvyatkov will perform an original composition that honours the conventions of Bulgarian folk music while incorporating a classical sound.

The Radio orchestra’s string quartet, comprising Petar Milanov, Nikolay Kodzabashev, Hristiyan Tsvyatkov and Boris Taslev, will perform its piece Po zapadnite kraishta (In the Western Regions).

The evening will feature a particularly moving moment for Rosen Genkov, concertmaster of the BNR Folk Music Orchestra. This will be one of the last occasions on which he will lead his colleagues on stage before taking his well-deserved retirement. He will be remembered for his commanding stage presence, dazzling energy and unrestrained expressiveness.

One of his signature original compositions is Shopsko Nastroenie (Shopsko Mood).

Edited by Dilyana Tracheva