Last week, in the concert hall of the Central Military Club in Sofia, as part of the 6th edition of the Piano Extravaganza International Festival, two Bulgarian university students presented the piano concert Laureates. They are Stefan Bonev and Georgi Boykin holders of special prizes from the 2015 Pancho Vladigerov International Competition for Pianists and Violinists. They presented in a brilliant way their interpretations of works by Johann Sebastian Bach, Maurice Ravel and Sergey Rachmaninoff.

Young pianist Georgi Boykin, a student of Prof. Borislava Taneva at Pancho Vladigerov National Academy of Music, says more about his creative quests minutes before playing his fully Bach program:

„I am very grateful to Prof. Ludmil Angelov, founder of Piano Extravaganza, for having invited me and Stefan Bonev after the Pancho Vladigerov competition as the two Bulgarians who won prizes at that forum. Piano Extravaganza is one of the most reputable piano festivals held in Bulgaria. Playing at it, and also, playing a sophisticated instrument of high class happens only seldom. This instrument gives freedom that other instruments cannot offer”, explains Georgi Boykin and talks about his soft spot for Johann Sebastian Bach. “It is very pure music that a man of genius wrote for all people. It should not be played in church or in chamber halls alone. It was originally not written for piano, but contemporary pianos offer great opportunities and we can take interpretations very close to the original concept. And during performance we have to see what Baroque ensembles do - the way music literally flows in orchestral Suites or Brandenburg concertos. This is something I pursue when playing the piano.”

Pianist Stefan Bonev, holder of two prizes from the Pancho Vladigerov competition for rendition of works by Bach and Vladigerov, is more laconic and more matter-of-fact:

„Though Piano Extravaganza is held for the sixth time it has already gained prestige at home and abroad. In Hamburg where I live and study, Bulgaria's cultural life is not very popular but many people have heard of this forum. It is so because in the first place it is organized by the famous Bulgarian pianist Ludmil Angelov and secondly, because it offers things slightly different from what is played at festivals: contemporary music and little known composers. I and Georgi Boykin have opted for a markedly classical program.”

English Daniela Konstantinova

Audio features the following pieces:

1. Prelude and Fugue No. 18 in G sharp minor from the 1st Volume of the Well Tempered Clavier by J.S.Bach, performed by Georgi Boykin

2. Etudes-Tableaux, opus 39 №2 fis moll by Sergey Rachmaninoff, performed by Stefan Bonev

3. Intermezzo Adagio from Fantasies, opus 11 by Johannes Brahms, performed by Georgi Boykin

4. Sarcasms, opus 17 - Tempestoso by Sergey Prokofiev, performed by Stefan Bonev