The Veliko Tarnovo Theater and Yildiz Ibrahimova invite you on a musical journey through the Balkans

The Veliko Tarnovo Theater and Yildiz Ibrahimova invite you on a musical journey through the Balkans, announced the “Konstantin Kisimov” Music and Drama Theater in Veliko Tarnovo. Popular rhythms from Bulgarian, Serbian, Turkish and Romanian folklore will be included in the theater’s new musical project with guest Yildiz Ibrahimova. The premiere of the concert-performance “Balkanika” is on November 30 in the great hall of the Veliko Tarnovo Theater.
The program is a combination of works by classical composers who use folk motifs and themes in their works, and authentic folk melodies from the Balkans, transformed into a version for a symphony orchestra.
“The project is a continuation of the creative line of our theater in recent years to combine different musical styles and give them a symphonic sound,” said conductor Georgi Patrikov. He recalled the creative collaboration of the Veliko Tarnovo Theater with Orlin Goranov, the rock musicians from B.T.R., with the supergroup “The Foundation”, Donny and Netty, mandolin quintet “Sofia” and others. “Now we have tried to capture the musical beauty of the Balkans, and thus, combining different cultures, the idea to invite Yildiz Ibrahimova was somehow naturally born,” explained Patrikov.
According to him, the singer with a unique voice Yildiz Ibrahimova is among the performers who can freely choose between different styles in jazz, classical music, spontaneous improvisation or authentic folklore. She will present her version of “Djelem Djelem”, which also intertwines fragments of “Gypsy Chants” by Pablo Sarasate. He will also perform another popular song – “Ederlezi”, together with the orchestra and choir of the Veliko Tarnovo Theater.
The program will include the famous Bulgarian Kopanica arranged for a symphony orchestra by Zdravko Rusev, “Horo Staccato” by Grigorash Diniku and Pancho Vladigerov, as well as “Ruchenitsa” from the suite “Thracian Dances” by Petko Stainov. Among the interesting interpretations will be “Romanian Rhapsody No. 1” by George Enescu. The composition was created according to Romanian folk melodies – it starts with its authentic sound with a violin and two accordions, and then the musical color will be complemented by the orchestra.
During the concert-performance, the suite “Romale” will be performed for the first time in front of an audience, based on ethnic motifs from the film “The Camp Goes to Heaven”. The composition was written especially for the symphony orchestra of the Veliko Tarnovo Theater by Marek Dyakov, and he himself will perform on stage as an accordionist.
The production “Balkanika” is directed by Hristo Simeonov. It features soloists Teodora Petrova, Miryana Kalushkova, Nikola Ivanov, Plamen Dolapchiev, Marek Dyakov, Maria Pavlova, Mladen Nikolaev, Stella Stefceva, Alexandra Petrova, as well as performers from the orchestra, choir and ballet of MDT “Konstantin Kisimov”. Georgi Patrikov, Asparuh Boilov and Marek Dyakov took care of the orchestration and processing of the songs.
Actors Nikol Boycheva and Kiril Milushev will lead the musical journey, in which stylized dances and visual effects will be emphasized, pictures will be projected on a video screen in sync with the dynamic Balkan rhythms, the organizers specified.