site.btaFirst Edition of SwiSSSoiree Held in Sofia

First Edition of SwiSSSoiree Held in Sofia

Sofia, September 11 (Metodi Yordanov of BTA) - The first edition of the SwiSSSoiree was held here on Thursday evening, where tradition and modernity intertwined in a unique and unforgettable picture, the organizers told BTA.

"We would like to present the well-known, as well the unknown Switzerland with original music, and typical Swiss food specialties and wines in a great atmosphere", says Ambassador of Switzerland to Bulgaria Denis Knobel. He voiced hope that there will be more editions in the years to come and the event will become a tradition for Sofia. It was organized by the Swiss Embassy in Bulgaria and the Bulgarian-Swiss Chamber of Commerce.

The highlight of the "Enjoy our SwiSSSoiree" programme was the musical performance of the Swiss duo Hang and Horn where the four meter long traditional Alpine horn got along well with the "Hang", a modern percussion instrument which has been invented some fifteen years ago in Switzerland after a decade of research.  Shortly after their concerts at Music Campus Balchik and in Gabrovo, the two Swiss musicians Bruno Bieri and Omri Hason fascinated the Sofia audience at the SwiSSSoiree with the originality and virtuosity of their performance.

Bruno Bieri told BTA that he felt a strong familiarity with the young musicians at Music Campus Balchik. "I think it is the same all over the world that young musicians like to be together. It is not only music, it is the whole socialization and being together, which is the whole idea behind the campus," he said.

"Two days before we left for Sofia and Balchik, there was a concert of Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares in Bern, which is also my home town. The women sang very nicely and it was my first chance to hear them live. Two days before coming here I had this feeling of the beautiful voice of these Bulgarian women. For me this was an introduction, an emotional coming into the country. Two days later I was in Balchik, where I saw these young students who played string instruments, such as the violin and the chello, it was international classical music. Of course, I felt that the Bulgarian and Romanian style had a little bit more energy, a true Eastern European energy," the Swiss musician said.

The event also presented the typical Swiss culinary specialties, which were complemented by Bulgarian cheeses and yoghurt, genuine farmers' products from the Balkan Mountain Range the production of which was supported under the Swiss funded project "For the Balkan, for the people".

The Bulgarian-Swiss Cooperation Program, which was presented at the event, supports a total of 63 project with a total value of CHF 76 million. The projects range from nature protection, the judiciary reform, the dual education, the civil society, the social inclusion.