The days of organ music “FioriMusicali / Musical Flowers” will take place in Dobrich during the months of May and June, with 5 concerts planned with the participation of notable musicians, the Municipality reports.
On May 1, Prof. Neva Krasteva and Collegium “LapisLazuli” will be visiting with Donna Stoyanova – soprano and Anita Dafinska – mezzo-soprano. On May 9th is the concert of Prof. Sabin Levy, on May 21st – Prof. Gail Archer /USA /, on June 5th – Prof. Andres Wibo /Estonia/ and on June 14th – Maria Slavova and Rada Yosifova – flute.
Curiously, Prof. Gail Archer, organist, professor of music at Columbia University’s Barnard College and faculty member at the Harriman Institute – the university’s center for Slavic studies, showed great interest and desire to realize recordings of her performances in our hall. For this purpose, he will arrive from the USA with a sound engineer and equipment. Her concert in front of an audience will have a Bulgarian program.
In order to popularize organ art and instruments in the Dobrich Concert Hall, Maria Slavova, a pianist and organist from Dobrich, proposed to the Municipality 5 years ago that a series of organ concerts be held annually – Days of Organ Music “Fiori Musicali / Musical Flowers’. Its first edition in 2019 was dedicated to the Easter holidays and Prof. Sabin Levi – organ, Stefan Dalchev – organ and Magdalena Dalcheva – cello, Maria Slavova – organ and Irina Olshanska – violin took part in it with their concerts. The great success was repeated in the following year 2020, when Yanko Marinov – organ, Dona Stoyanova – soprano, Maria Slavova – organ and Svetlana Ancheva – oboe performed before our audience for the Christmas holidays. In 2021, Maria Slavova realized a creative project again under the name “Musical Flowers”. The public began to look forward to these events and in 2021 Prof. Sabin Levi, Yanko Marinov and Maria Slavova herself took part again with solo recitals.
Now, after the renovation of the instrument and the “Dobrich” Concert Hall itself, the Municipality of the city of Dobrich continues the already established tradition and the series of organ concerts /solo and in different formations/ takes its place in the cultural life of our city as Days of Organ Music “FioriMusicali/ Musical Flowers’. This is a unifying title that the initiator Maria Slavova proposed at the beginning and which was naturally adopted. The significance of Girolamo Frescobaldi’s works under this name – liturgical organ music first published in 1635 is undeniable. Fiorimusicali/three organ masses and two secular caprices/ are generally recognized as one of Frescobaldi’s greatest works that influenced composers for two centuries.
The organ in the “Dobrich” concert hall was built in 1988 by the organ building company “Alexander Schuke Orgelbau–Potsdam”. It is in accordance with the conditions of the concert environment and was created in the manner of the famous Potsdam organ factory. It is listed under No. 555 in the catalog of the firm founded in 1820. The organ has two keyboards for the hands and one keyboard for the feet. It has a very beautiful and varied sound. It can play very old music as well as romantic and contemporary music. It is suitable for ensemble playing, with choirs, with soloists, with an orchestra. The instrument has scores of three fifth lines, with the third fifth line being for the pedals. There are 36 registers with specifics that combine.
According to specialists, this instrument is a real national treasure, because it is one of the best sounding ones in Bulgaria and undoubtedly the most beautiful in terms of exterior. In order to achieve an organic unity between the architecture of the instrument, the interior of the hall and the Bulgarian line, the merit of arch. Vitleem Chalakov /1930-2016/, recreated a stylish revival house.
