Balkanicus Ensemble

THE COLORADO COLLEGE MUSIC DEPARTMENT Presents Balkanicus Ensemble Patrick O’Keefe, clarinet Nikolay Gueorguiev, gadulka Nickolai Kolarov, cello Jill Dawe, piano Peter Cooper, percussion The Irregulars Bulgarian contemporary and traditional music Dedicated to the 80th anniversary of Vassil Kazandjiev and 90th anniversary of the birth of Konstantin Iliev Thursday February 6, 2014 7:30 PM Packard Hall Saga of Konstantin Iliev for Cello and Piano Vassil Kazandjiev (b.1934) Seven Bagatelles for Clarinet and Cello Konstantin Iliev (1924-1988) Trio Sonata – In Memory of Lazar Nikolov for Clarinet, Cello and Piano Vassil Kazandjiev Lento - Allegro Adagio e rubato molto - Allegro marcato Adagio - Lento The Song of the Dolphin for Cello and Vibraphone Vassil Kazandjiev Concertino for Gadulka and Piano Nikolay Stoykov Moderate fast (b.1936) Slow Playful Potpourri of Bulgarian Folk Tunes Traditional Please refrain from using electronic devices during the concert PROGRAM NOTES The Bulgarian folk music is known for its emblematic irregular rhythms, unique singing intonations and dances, made famous by the Mystery of the Bulgarian voices and other ensembles. On the other hand the music of the contemporary composers, some of whom we will introduce you to, is less known. Nikolay Stoykov bases his piece on this tradition. Konstantin Iliev, Lazar Nikolov, Ivan Spassov and Vassil Kazandjiev were among the pioneers of a new revolutionary music. As it came in contrast to Socialist realism it was rejected and they were accused by the powerful of the day of promoting Western formalism. We would like you to feel some of the atmosphere in which they worked and the passions that their music caused. Vassil Kazandjiev (b.1934) graduated from the Bulgarian State Academy of Music majoring in composition and conducting. He taught conducting in the State Academy of Music for more than thirty years while conducting some of the most outstanding orchestras in Bulgaria. As co-founder and chief conductor of the Sofia Soloists Chamber Ensemble (1962-78) he took part in every national festival and achieved international acclaim. His exceptional leadership has greatly contributed to the propagation of contemporary music in Bulgaria and the performance of Bulgarian contemporary works abroad, and has boosted the creative work of many Bulgarian composers. During the 1960s his compositional style placed him close to the leading European tendencies of the second part of the 20th century and in the vanguard of Bulgarian music. Kazandjiev’s music has two main traits: inspiration, coming from the traditional art and presented by means of stylization, archaism or improvisation; and preoccupation with timbre and coloristic effects. It diverged from the reigning Socialist realism and brought him trouble from the music powerhouses of his day. Among his numerous compositions for symphony orchestra, chamber ensembles, theatre, film, marches and songs, is Fantasy Concertante (2011) for flute, horn, marimba and cello commissioned for Balkanicus. Saga of Konstantin Iliev (1999). “Konstantin Iliev is an exceptional person and the first who introduced the atonal music in Bulgaria—he was the one who made the break. I owe him my knowledge in contemporary music, the atonal system of the New (Second) Viennese School of Schoenberg. I had the great chance and the good fortune to meet him when he came and founded the Symphony Orchestra in Ruse in 1947—I was 13 years old and he was 23. This piece is an expression of his essence as a personality with the means of music. It starts quite melancholically and sadly, but gradually develops dramatically and culminates in the middle—I have tried to express in this dramatic center Konstantin’s boisterous nature, his audacity and courage, which was very pronounced in his youth. After that, there are some relaxing lyrical moments and again melancholy and sadness that end with a consolidation of sound, enlightenment. There I gently cite the theme of his First Symphony—a reminder of the very beginning—because his First Symphony was truly a revolutionary piece. It is not atonal, but very courageous with contemporary means of expression, meaning like Bartok, Stravinski, Shostakovich. It’s his very own; very unique. It caused a big scandal then! The leading composers, our professors, attacked him very sharply. They thought that this was not music, but chaos, cacophony. That is why I cited the theme. It consists of four tones, A-A-E-G. I gently suggest it in the piano part, out of respect, as an honor to him as an author. These four tones had become something of a signal among his fans.” Trio Sonata – In Memory of Lazar Nikolov (2007) “The trio is my tribute, reverence, respect and appreciation to Lazar Nikolov, a great friend and teacher of mine. The piece incorporates dramatic effects, lyricism, and melancholy. The cello harmonics I have tried to be reminiscent of his voice – a high falsetto. The work follows the classical sonata form with its three movements; however the parts are joined in one.” The Song of the Dolphin (2008) “I love the animals very much and always and with great interest have watched them and have admired them. I was once on a tour with a chamber orchestra from Plovdiv (as a conductor) and we travelled by ship to Spain through the entire Mediterranean. We watched dolphins, which were jumping in ensembles of three or four. The flutist even started playing a melody from ‘Daphnis et Chloe’. I have very often listened to recordings of the sound and communication among the dolphins, as they are the animal closest to the human mind. I decided to write a piece out of respect for that remarkable animal. The cello is the best fitting instrument with rich timbre capacity and great range and it is also the closest to the human voice instrument. The vibraphone creates the needed atmosphere and a background, which resembles the sea water and interacts in a very interesting way with the cello timbres.” Konstantin Iliev (1924-1988) graduated from the State Academy of Music in 1946 majoring in composition under Pancho Vladigerov, conducting under Marin Goleminov, and violin. He then specialized at the Prague Music Academy and attended quadritone composition classes given by Alois Haba. After his return he introduced the atonal music to Bulgaria. His First Symphony caused a great scandal, as did the Second written for wind orchestra, but they also encouraged some like-minded composers to experiment with new means of expression. He wrote music with sharp dissonances, daring modulations and deep philosophic meaning in a variety of genres; he composed two operas and a ballet, cantatas and oratorios, six symphonies and other works for symphony orchestra, seven Tempi Concertati for various instrumental ensembles, four string quartets, a wind quintet and other chamber and solo music, songs, choral music, and music for film and theatre. He wrote three books, and also articles and studies. Iliev came in conflict with the newly established norms of the Socialist realism that was wholeheartedly supported by his former teachers for its references of folklore and its pleasant melodies for the masses. The lack of understanding and the campaign against his music must have been hard on him, but Konstantin Iliev also had to deal with constant imposed transfers to different jobs and towns. For a while he worked as a musicologist at the Bulgarian National Radio. Later he founded the State Symphony Orchestra in Ruse (1947-48), conducted the ballet of the Sofia Opera (1948-49), was chief conductor of the State Symphony Orchestra and of the National Opera in Ruse (1949-52), then chief conductor of the Varna Symphony Orchestra (1952-56). Since 1956 he conducted the Sofia Philharmonic (with interruptions). In 1967 he was appointed Professor of Orchestral Conducting at the State Academy of Music. In 1969 he left the Sofia Philharmonic, and until 1971 he made a series of concerts and recordings for the Balkanton company with the orchestra of the State Academy of Music. During the periods of 1971-72 and 1978-84 he was re-appointed chief conductor of the Sofia Philharmonic. From 1972 to 1978 he lived in Dobrich, where he founded the Chamber Music Festival. Konstantin Iliev’s art of conducting won recognition in many countries in Europe, America and Asia. He occupied a significant role in spreading 20th century music. Konstantin Iliev last performed as a conductor in 1988 in Ruse. He is one of the most significant Bulgarian vanguard contemporary composers. Seven Bagatelles (1987) Seven Bagatelles are among the last works of the composer and had their premier in Rousse. The music is serial but Konstantin Iliev combined the interval serial structure and the rhythmic one. The expression is short and pure. The composer has explained that the good vertical is a result of the ideally created horizontal line. The piece is a model for a contemporary instrumental composition and a reflection of his artistic creed. Nikolay Stoykov (b. 1936), after his graduation from the State Music Academy in 1970, studied composition and theory in Moscow with Dmitri Shostakovich and Tikhon Khrennikov. He has been a professor of Composition and Harmony at the Academy of Music and Dance Arts in Plovdiv and a composer of symphonic, chamber and vocal music. He also creates experimental music. Stoikov was the founder and chair of the Department of Musical Folklore of the Academy in Plovdiv until 1998. He is one of the founders of the internationally renowned folk ensemble "Trakia". Concertino for Gadulka and Piano is built upon authentic melodies characterized by their musical aesthetic, elaborated ornaments and virtuoso technique. The bowed string instrument gadulka is typical only in Bulgaria. This work synthesizes the large compositional form, typical in Western music, but unknown to Bulgarian folk music, and traditional Bulgarian melodies.

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