TUCSON, AZ – A Bulgarian composer, cellist and conductor are featured in the first program of the Southern Arizona Symphony Orchestra season on Oct. 5 and 6. The artists are Roumi Petrova, Kalin Ivanov and Dimitar Karaminkov.
The program includes Petrova’s Cello Concerto in C, as well as Verdi’s Overture to Nabucco and Borodin’s Symphony No. 2.
Guest conductor Karaminkov was honored as “The Best Young Conductor of Bulgaria” in 1984 and remains one the most significant participants of Bulgarian musical life. He graduated from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music in Sofia, then studied with Franco Ferrara at the Chigiana Academy in Siena, Italy.
He is the music director & chief conductor of the Sliven Symphony Orchestra, a post he’s held since 1994. He’s guest conducted in Germany, Italy, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, Turkey, Greece and India. He’s recorded with the Symphony Orchestra of Bulgarian National Radio as well as the Ruosse and Sliven Philharmonic Orchestras. Many outstanding musicians and singers from Europe, the United States and Japan and have performed under his baton. Bulgarian Music Magazine called his style “charming and elegant.”
Cellist Ivanov performs internationally as a soloist, chamber musician and recording artist. He began playing cello at the age of 6, studying with his father. Known for his charismatic performances, the young talent traveled from Bulgaria to England, France, Switzerland, Austria, Russia and Greece. In 1999 he won the C.W. Post Chamber Music Festival Concerto Competition at Long Island University. He holds a master’s degree from the Brooklyn College Conservatory of Music. He now teaches cello and chamber music there as well as at several other New York music schools.
Ivanov received a career development grant from the Artist Fund of the New York Foundation for the Arts. He is the subject of an hour-long film biography produced by the Bulgarian National Television and has been featured in numerous other radio and TV broadcasts. He’s released three CDs and is a founding member of The Forte String Quartet, New York Classic Trio, New York Empire Trio, Duo “BG” and the Bulgarian Piano Quartet. The STRAD lauded his “dramatic urgency and expressive tone.”
Ivanov will perform Petrova’s Cello Concerto. The composer, violist and teacher graduated from the Academy of Music and Dance Art in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. She then completed another master of music degree at The University of Pretoria, South Africa, where she lived and worked for five years as a fulltime orchestra musician – in Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban. After that she lived in New York and Miami for a decade before returning to Bulgaria in 2008 to teach viola and chamber music at the National Art School in Varga. As a chamber musician she’s toured in the United States, Britain, Switzerland, Bulgaria and Greece. Petrova began composing in her early 20s. Her compositions are featured on two CDs – Project Bacillus Bulgaricus (2003) and Enchanted Rhythms (2006).
The Cello Concerto is inspired by the irregular rhythm of seven beats per measure, which is quite characteristic of traditional Bulgarian music. All movements are written in different aspects of the rhythm – the first movement is in 7/8, the slow movement is in 7/4 and the finale is in 7/16. Not only rhythmically but also harmonically, Petrova draws from Bulgarian tradition – all themes are short and simple, harmonies are mostly modal. There are many quotations of famous music works in the concerto, and although they are disguised by the irregular rhythm and modal harmonies, it is said the trained listener will easily find them.
Borodin also incorporated a variety of Russian folk melodies into his second symphony, considered his most important large-scale work. It has melodic resemblances to two theatre works that he wrote during the same time period – Prince Igor and Mlada. A contemporary of Mussorgsky and Rimsky Korsakov, Borodin was not a prolific composer because his primary career was as a physician and chemist.
The SASO season includes five concert programs with two performances each. Season tickets are $75, a savings of $25 over single ticket admission.
Music Director Linus Lerner will conduct the four remaining concerts in the 2013-2014 season. During his tenure, he’s led SASO on two tours of China. This summer SASO performed with him in Mexico at the first edition of the Oaxaca Opera Festival. He’s also music director of the Symphony Orchestra Rio Grande do Norte in Brazil, and until recently, he was music director of the Bayou City Performing Arts in Houston.
Lerner has conducted orchestras, operas, choruses and instrumental groups in his native Brazil, the United States, Australia, Spain, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Turkey and China. Throughout his travels he’s found that music truly is the international language. He holds a doctorate in orchestral conducting from the University of Arizona.
Longtime supporter Dorothy Vanek is sponsoring the SASO season for the seventh consecutive year. A musician, artist and arts advocate involved with many local organizations, she received the Outstanding Philanthropist Award from the Southern Arizona Chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professions in 2010.
SASO concerts are presented at 7:30 p.m. Saturday in the DesertView Performing Arts Center, 39900 S. Clubhouse Dr. in SaddleBrooke, and at 3 p.m. Sunday at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 7575 N. Paseo del Norte. At the St. Andrews concerts, tickets are always complimentary for ages 17 and under.
Concertgoers can order the SaddleBrooke series by calling 825-2818 or online at http://tickets/saddlebrooketwo.com. For the St. Andrews series, call 308-6226 or order online at www.sasomusic.org. Individual concert tickets also can be reserved in advance or purchased at the door.
Founded in 1979, SASO is a vital community resource that unites performers and audiences through a passion for music. The orchestra presents world premieres, seldom-performed treasures and classical favorites.
The programs for the remaining concerts in the 2013-2014 season are:
- Nov. 9 and Nov. 10 –Pärt’s Cantus in Memoriam Benjamin Britten, Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto with soloist Edwin E. Soo Kim and Rutter’s Mass of the Children with Deborah Faustino and Seth Kershisnik, Tucson Boys Chorus and an adult choir.
- Feb. 15 and Feb. 16 – Márquez’ Danzón No. 2, Bloch’s Schelomo with cellist Zoran Stilin and Brahms’ Symphony No. 1.
- Apr. 5 and Apr. 6 – Rimsky-Korsakov’s Capriccio Espagnol, Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1 with soloist Pervez Mody, Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet, plus the winner of SASO’s Dorothy Vanek Youth Concerto Competition.
- May 10 and May 11 – Shostakovich’s Festive Overture, Rodrigo’s Concierto de Aranjuez with guitarist Roberto Capocchi and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9.
For more information visit www.sasomusic.org or call 308-6226.