site.bta24th European Music Festival to Kick Off in Sofia

The 24th European Music Festival will kick off in Sofia on Monday evening with a concert titled Tango Dreams. The event will take place in Bulgaria Hall at 7:30 p.m., Cantus Firmus Music Agency said.

"The concert will take the audience to the magical world of Argentine music. The date was not randomly picked: it marks the birth anniversary of the great Argentine tango composer and bandoneon player, Astor Piazzolla (1921-1992), who revolutionized tango culture and was reverently referred to as El Gran Astor," the organizers said.

The concert will trace the development of tango from the early classical examples to the excellence of the work of Piazzolla, the creator of the tango nuevo style. The programme includes pieces by Osvaldo Pugliese, Raul Garello, Eduardo Rovira, Agustin Bardi, and Osvaldo Ruggiero, Piazzolla's Angel Suite and Four Seasons of Buenos Aires.

The concert will be joined by dance couple Vladislav Petrov and Maria Uzunova, who have been trained by the world's greatest masters of tango and have been promoting tango culture in Bulgaria for years. Petrov and Uzunova are the creators of the first Bulgarian tango show, Tango! Mi Vida, which has been staged in Sofia and Sozopol, the organizers added.

Tango Dreams will bring together two remarkable Bulgarian musicians: pianist Lyudmil Angelov and bandoneon player Stoyan Karaivanov with his Libertango Orchestra.

Angelov is among the best contemporary Chopin interpreters. In 2016, he collaborated with violinist Vesko Eschkenazy on the album Tango, which premiered at the European Music Festival and was later promoted by a nationwide tour. Angelov also founded the 5/4 Tango ensemble on the occasion of Piazzolla's 100th birth anniversary.

Karaivanov has studied bandoneon at the Conservatory of Cagliari under the guidance of Prof. Fabio Furia. He has also attended master classes of bandoneon virtuosos Juan Jose Mosalini and Daniel Binelli. Karaivanov founded the Libertango Orchestra in 2022 together with young Bulgarian musicians. "Our goal is not just to hold concerts, but to make music," he said.